Synthesis and Characterization of Nonionic Waterborne Polyurethane and Application to Wool Fabric Finishing

A nonionic waterborne polyurethane(WPU) was synthesized by the self-emulsification method using polyether diol(N220),isophorone diisocyanate(IPDI),trimethylolpropane poly(ethylene glycol monomethyl ether)(N120),1,4-butanediol(BDO) and trimethylolpropane(TMP) as the main materials.The effects of the NCO/OH ratio on the emulsion and film properties of NWPU were explored.The experimental results show that the NWPU prepared at an NCO/OH ratio of 1.1 has good emulsion stability and easy film formation,and the resultant film was elastic,soft,and transparent.The sample was used for wool finishing and the application performance was evaluated.When the NWPU dosage reached 40 g·L^(-1),the fabric area felt shrinkage rate reduced from 8.97% to 4.75%,the pilling rating raised from grade 2-3 to grade 4,and the whiteness value only decreased by 3.87%.

Sustainable art exhibition RETURN visualizes wool's biodegradable properties

In early April,The Woolmark Company,the authoritative wool textiles organization,presented RETURN,a sustainable art exhibition at R130,a buyer shop during Shanghai Fashion Week,where three pieces of naturally degraded wool fabrics were on display for the first time in China.The exhibition visualised the biodegradation process of this natural fabric,leading people to experience the natural charm of wool through art and natural beauty.

Close-loop recyclable and flexible halide perovskite@wool keratin sensor with piezoelectric property

Halide perovskites with excellent piezoelectric properties,but their poor stability hinders their largescale application.Herein,a sandwich-structured halide perovskite flexible sensor with good stability was developed according to a three-step procedure as follows:(ⅰ) in-situ growth of wool keratinCsPbBr_(3)(WK-CsPbBr_(3)) using wool keratin in interfacial passivation and coating,(ⅱ) electrospinning of a wool keratin-CsPbBr_(3)/polyacrylonitrile(WCP) nanofiber film,and(ⅲ) coating of the WCP nanofiber with polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS) to obtain a sensor(WCPP).The sensor could generate a piezoelectric voltage of 7.8 V at a pressure of 6 kPa in the stages of pressing and releasing,and the output characteristics did not decline even after 10,000 cycles.Compared to the 4-month stability of the perovskite sensor,WCPP sensor exhibited the output performance even after 16 months,which indicated that wool keratin as a multidentate improved the stability of the halide perovskite.Additionally,the sensor displayed a self-cleaning property and could also light up 14 commercial LEDs.The close-loop recycling of the lead halide perovskite was achieved by dissolving the WCP nanofiber film in DMF and then reelectrospinning.Therefore,the method proposed is a step forward for achieving the commercialization of WK-CsPbBr_(3) and providing new avenues for further utilization of wool waste.

Genome‑wide DNA methylation and transcriptome analyses reveal the key gene for wool type variation in sheep

Background Wool fibers are valuable materials for textile industry.Typical wool fibers are divided into medullated and non-medullated types,with the former generated from primary wool follicles and the latter by either primary or secondary wool follicles.The medullated wool is a common wool type in the ancestors of fine wool sheep before breeding.The fine wool sheep have a non-medullated coat.However,the critical period determining the type of wool follicles is the embryonic stage,which limits the phenotypic observation and variant contrast,making both selection and studies of wool type variation fairly difficult.Results During the breeding of a modern fine(MF)wool sheep population with multiple-ovulation and embryo transfer technique,we serendipitously discovered lambs with ancestral-like coarse(ALC)wool.Whole-genome rese-quencing confirmed ALC wool lambs as a variant type from the MF wool population.We mapped the significantly associated methylation locus on chromosome 4 by using whole genome bisulfite sequencing signals,and in turn identified the SOSTDC1 gene as exons hypermethylated in ALC wool lambs compare to their half/full sibling MF wool lambs.Transcriptome sequencing found that SOSTDC1 was expressed dozens of times more in ALC wool lamb skin than that of MF and was at the top of all differentially expressed genes.An analogy with the transcriptome of coarse/fine wool breeds revealed that differentially expressed genes and enriched pathways at postnatal lamb stage in ALC/MF were highly similar to those at the embryonic stage in the former.Further experiments validated that the SOSTDC1 gene was specifically highly expressed in the nucleus of the dermal papilla of primary wool follicles.Conclusion In this study,we conducted genome-wide differential methylation site association analysis on differen-tial wool type trait,and located the only CpG locus that strongly associated with primary wool follicle development.Combined with transcriptome analysis,SOSTDC1 was identified as the only gene at this locus that was specifically overexpressed in the primary wool follicle stem cells of ALC wool lamb skin.The discovery of this key gene and its epigenetic regulation contributes to understanding the domestication and breeding of fine wool sheep.

The winners of International Woolmark Prize and Karl Lagerfeld Award were announced

Lagos Space Programme from Nigeria and Denmark’s A.ROEGE HOVE have been announced the winners of the 2023 International Woolmark Prize and Karl Lagerfeld Award for In­novation,respectively,at a special event held in Paris.BYBORRE is also celebrating after being recognised as the Supply Chain Award recipient.

Studies on Wool-Eating Ailment in Guizhou Semi-Fine Wool Sheep

The clinical symptoms of a disorder which is known locally as ＂wool-eating ailment＂ in Guizhou semi-fine wool sheep in the Weining County of Guizhou Province, China, are poor weight gain, lost appetite, pica, emaciation, and wool-eating. The mineral composition of forage, and samples of blood, liver and wool from Guizhou semi-fine wool sheep in affected ranches were compared with those from the unaffected areas. The mean concentration of iron in forage from affected pasture was significantly higher than that from the unaffected pasture. The mean concentration of sulfur in forage from the affected and unaffected pasture was similar and within normal ranges. The mean concentration of sulfur in blood, liver and wool from the affected Guizhou semi-fine wool sheep was significantly lower than that from the unaffected sheep while the content of iron in blood, liver and wool from the affected sheep was significantly higher than that from the unaffected sheep. Oral administration of calcium sulfate prevented and cured the disease. We concluded that the disease of Guizhou semi-fine wool sheep in the Weining County is due to S deficiency caused by the high Fe in forages.

Shrinkage Properties of Wool and Acrylic/Wool Plain Knitted Fabrics Treated with DC109

This paper examines the effects of shrink - resist treatment, washing cycle and fabric tightness on the shrinkage properties of plain knitted fabrics made from 100% wool, acrylic/wool (50/50) and acrylic/wool (70/30). It was found that shrinkages of both treated and untreated wool fabrics were negatively correlated to fabric tightness and exceeded the IWS shrinkage limits (5% in length and 8 % in area) after 2 - 5A washing cycle. The effect of tightness was not as obvious with acrylic/wool (A/W) fabrics, but the shrinkage was seen to increase with stages of washing cycle for untreated A/W fabrics with some exceeding IWS standard. By applying the DC 109 shrink - resist solvent treatment, it was identified that by with higher percentage of acrylic fibre blended with wool, shrinkage could be reduced considerably and within acceptable limits.

Differential Expression of Immune Genes between Body Side Skin and Groin Skin of Aohan Fine Wool Sheep

[Objective] To get major genes for wool traits regulation from immune genes. [Methods] Microarray technology was used to detect differentially expressed immune genes between body side skin （more wool growing） and groin skin （no wool growing） of Aohan fine wool sheep. [Results] 46 immune genes （fold change 〉2.0） were identified and classified, and then 6 of which were selected for QPCR confir- mation. The degree of consistency of the QPCR and microarray results was 66.67%, [Conclusion] Immune privilege may participate in wool growth regulation.

Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Main Wool Traits in Keerqin Fine Wool Sheep

[Objective]To investigate the population genetic structure of Keerqin fine wool sheep. [Method]The genetic parameters of wool traits in Keerqin fine wool sheep were calculated by employing paternal half sib correlation method. [Results]The traits with high heritability( h≥0. 3) included wool length( 1-year old),wool yield( 1-year old) and wool yield( 2-year old); that with medium heritability( 0. 1≤h≤0. 3) included wool fineness( 1-year old),wool fineness( 2-year old),wool length( 3-year old) and wool yield( 3-year old). There were extremely significant positive correlations between wool fineness( 1-year old) and wool fineness( 2-year old),between wool fineness( 1-year old) and wool fineness( 3-year old),between wool length( 1-year old) and wool length( 2-year old),between wool length( 1-year old) and wool length( 3-year old),and between wool fineness( 2-year old) and wool fineness( 3-year old),with the correlation coefficients of 0. 653 0,0. 625 8,0. 489 6,0. 578 8,0. 578 4 and 0. 554 6 respectively. The results showed that the phenotypic correlation was poorer than genetic correlation among the wool traits. [Conclusion]The wool fineness,wool yield and body weight of Keerqin fine wool sheep all fail to meet the excellent level and need to be improved further.

EFFECT OF ELASTOMER ON WRINKLE RECOVERY OF SILK AND SILK/WOOL BLEND FABRICS

An investigation is described in which various polyfunctional elastomers( cationic methylaminopolysiloxane,nonic concentrated glyoxal resin and anionicpolyurethane etc. ) were applied on silk,wool and silk/ wool blend fabrics forimprovement wrinkle recovery.A study on this paper describes wrinkle recovery oftreated fabrics by the thermobench method,and ascertains reason which elastomerimproves wrinkle recovery of silk and silk/ wool blend fabrics according as results ofthe DSC,the SEM and the acid or alkali resistance.

Status and development of mineral wool made from molten blast furnace slag

This study describes the characteristics of mineral wool and its applications,and also introduces the traditional process of mineral wool made from molten blast furnace （BF） slag. Compared with high energy consumption of the traditional process,the production of mineral wool by using molten BF slag will be able to take full advantage of the sensible heat of molten slag, and also reduce production costs. However, there are also further issues to resolve such as how to obtain the required amount of molten BF slag and how to make it homogeneous. Based on the physical and chemical properties of the molten BF slag,the investigation into the relationship between temperature and viscosity under different acidity coefficients of the slag and silicon mixture was conducted. Combined with the crystallization and phase diagram of slag wool, its heat resistance, water resistance, durability and corrosion resistance were analyzed. Finally, trends of the technology development are proposed.

Oil Content Conversion between Ether-based and Ethanol-based Methods and Establishment of Admissible Error for Imported Wool

Due to various reasons, the inspection methods often need to be changed, and the detection reagents often need to be replaced. In this study, a comparative experiment was conducted between the ethanol-based and ether-based determination methods for oil content in imported wool. The determination results obtained from the two methods were treated as abscissa and ordinate respectively,and their linear relationship was analyzed. According to the linear regression analysis, the conversion equation of determination result between the two methods was obtained. In addition, the repeatability admissible error and reproducibility admissible error were established through analyzing the comparative experimental results by scientific software. This study will bring new ideas for further researches in this field, and provide reference for solving the similar problems in actual inspection work.

Enzymatic Treatment of Wool

Three proteases were applied to treatments of wool. The shrinkage, dyeing behavior, some physical and mechanical properties of treated wool were studied. Peroxymonosulfate(PMS)and lipase were used to pretreat wool before the treatment of it by protease. The results show that the shrink resistance of wool fabric is not obtained when it is treated only by the protease, but it is remarkably improved when the wool fabric is treated first by PMS or a lipase afterwards by protease The rate of dyeing is increased when the wool is treated by protease or combination of oxidant/lipase and protease. Whiteness, luster and softness of treated wool are improved, while the strength and elasticity are reduced.

Effect of Testing Conditions on Fibre-Bundle Tensile Properties-Part Ⅱ: the Gauge Length and Elongation Speed in Wool Fibre Bundle Measurement

The testing conditions of a fibre bundle tensile tester (TENSOR) are elongation speed (ES), gauge length (GL), pretension, jaw pressure, environmental temperature and relative humidity, instrument linearity and sensitivity. The effects on fibre-bundle tensile properties at different GL and ES have been discussed in detail and compared with Peirce’s theories on the weaklinks and the breaking time effect. The experimental results indicate that the tensile properties of fibre bundles are strongly affected by GL and vary with different GL. The reasonable GL should be 5 15 mm rather than 3.2 mm for wool bundle measurements. The ES ranging from 20 mm/min to 40 mm/min is beneficial for obtaining comparatively stable and accurate tensile values, whereas 20 mm/min used in current testing for wool fibre bundles is at the lower limit of the suggested range. For bundle modulus measurement, the sampling interval must be selected appropriately. The new calculation of the sampling interval has been established.

Identification of SNPs and expression patterns of FZD3 gene and its effect on wool traits in Chinese Merino sheep(Xinjiang Type)

As a member of the Frizzled family, Frizzled3 (FZD3) is a receptor of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway and plays a vital role in mammalian hair follicle developmental processes. However, its effects on wool traits are not clear. The objectives of this study were to identify the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and the expression patterns of FZD3 gene, and then to determine whether it affected wool traits of Chinese Merino sheep (Xinjiang Type) or not. PCR-single stranded conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing were used to identify mutation loci, and general linear model (GLM) with SAS 9.1 was used for the association analysis between wool traits and SNPs. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to investigate FZD3 gene expression levels. The results showed that six exons of FZD3 gene were amplified and two mutation loci were identified in exon 1 (NC_019459.2: g.101771685 T>C (SNP1)) and exon 3 (NC_019459.2: g.101810848, A>C (SNP2)), respectively. Association analysis showed that SNP1 was significantly associated with mean fiber diameter (MFD)(P=0.04) and live weight (LW)(P=0.0004), SNP2 was significantly associated with greasy fleece weight (GFW)(P=0.04). The expression level of FZD3 gene in skin tissues of the superfine wool (SF) group was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of the fine wool (F) group. Moreover, it had a higher expression level (P<0.01) in skin tissues than in other tissues of Chinese Merino ewes. While, its expression level had a fluctuant expression in skin tissues at different developmental stages of embryos and born lambs, with the highest expression levels (P<0.01) at the 65th day of embryos. Our study revealed the genetic relationship between FZD3 variants and wool traits and two identified SNPs might serve as potential and valuable genetic markers for sheep breeding and lay a molecular genetic foundation for sheep marker-assisted selection (MAS).

Effect of Testing Conditions on Fibre-Bundle Tensile Properties Part Ⅰ: Sample Preparation, Bundle Mass and Fibre Alignment of Wool Bundles

Due to the effects of samples and testing conditions on fibre-bundle tensile behaviour, it is necessary to investigate the relationships between experimental factors and tensile properties for the fibre-bundle tensile tester (TENSOR). The effects of bundle sample preparation, fibre bundle mass and fibre alignment have been tested. The experimental results indicated that (1) the low damage in combing and no free-end fibres in the cut bundle are most important for the sample preparation; (2) the reasonable bundle mass is 400700 tex, but the tensile properties measured should be modified with the bundle mass because a small amount of bundle mass causes the scatter results, while the larger is the bundle mass, the more difficult to comb fibres parallel and to clamp fibre evenly; and (3) the fibre irregular arrangement forms a slack bundle resulting in interaction between fibres, which will affect the reproducibility and accuracy of the tensile testing.

Technology status and development of mineral wool made of blast furnace slag

Under the trend of low-carbon economy,the technique of producing mineral wool insulation material from molten blast furnace slag are of great significance both to Insulation materials industry and metallurgical industry on the aspects of energy conservation and emissions reduction.This paper presents characteristics and use of mineral wool made of blast furnace slag,and also introduces mineral wool production process and key techniques.It also put forward a number of issues need to be addressed in the process.The inherent mechanism affecting the performance of the of mineral wool is analyzed.And it points out the target and future direction of R & D in Baoshan Iron and Steel in mineral wool technology field.

Mathematical Model for Application of Simulated Tikuanyin Tea Residues on Wool Dyeing Process

The central composition experimental design of multiva-riate Response Surface Method was used to formulate mathematical models aiming to predict (1) the optimum dyeing conditions of simulated waste Tikuanyin tea for wool fabric and (2) the optimum extraction conditions of a natural mordant originated from common waste eggshell. The pre - mordanting eggshell was applied to wool fabric before dyeing with simulated waste Tikuanyin tea under the optimum dyeing conditions. After mordanting the wool fabric with extracted natural eggshell solution, the prominent effect of increment in dye uptake and improvement of the properties of light fastness, washing fastness and rubbing fastness were evaluated.

Comfort of Light-weight Wool and Wool Blend Woven Fabrics

The comfort of the light-weight woven fabrics was investigated by conducting the wear trials under the controlled climatic conditions. The wear trial under the neutral environmental conditions showed that the lightweight wool and wool blend fabrics are generally less comfortable than the silk fabric, cotton poplin and polyester/cotton poplin fabrics tested in this study. The main shortcoming in terms of comfort for these lightweight wool fabrics is the prickle. Besides, the fabric softness was found to be a very important factor influencing the comfort of the clothing worn next to the skin.

One-bath Dyeing of Polyester/Wool Blend with Disperse Dyes

The role of auxiliary LAB as vehicle in dyeing polyester/wool blends with disperse dyes is described. Dye exhaustion and bonding on polyester/wool samples are studied under different experimental conditions - the LAB amount, the temperature and pH value- to achieve optimum conditions. The results are compared with those obtained with and without conventional dyeing auxiliary products. Although dye exhaustion is higher in the presence of commercial carriers, the dye bonded increases markedly in the presence of auxiliary LAB in both fibers. The role played by auxiliary LAB in polyester/wool blend dyeing can provide a new method for this process.