Influence of Clothing Fabrics on Skin Microcirculation

This study investigated the effects of clothing fabric on human skin microcirculation.Once skin is covered with a clothing fabric,human sensations,namely,coolness,warmth,softness,and roughness,are aroused immediately,and the cutaneous microcirculation may be changed consequently.Since the complex relationships of the human skin,the environment,and the clothing,there is few publication focusing on the physiological responses of the skin to the fabrics.In this paper,a Laser Doppler Flowmetry(LDF)was used to test the dynamic responses of the skin blood flow when the fabric was placed on the skin.Effects of different fabrics on the skin blood flux were investigated.The results show that cold stimulation of fabric has remarkable influences on the skin blood flux,and the surface properties of fabric are of importance to affect the human skin blood flow.

Anisotropic dewetting polydimethylsiloxane surface fabricated using ultrashort laser pulses

Anisotropic dewetting polydimethylsiloxane （PDMS） surfaces, which consist of groove-like micro/ nanostructures （so-called hierarchical structures）, are fabricated using an ultrashort pulsed laser. The contact angles （CAs） are measured parallel to the microgrooves, which are always larger than those measured perpendicular to the microgrooves, exhibiting a superhydrophobic anisotropy of approximately 4°on these fabricated PDMS surfaces at optimized parameters. These pulsed-laser irradiated surfaces exhibit enhanced hydrophobicity with CAs that increase from 116°to 156°while preserving the anisotropic dewetting. Additionally, the wettability of the surfaces with different morphologies is investigated. The temporal evolution of the wettability of the pulsed-laser irradiated PDMS surface is also observed within the first few hours after pulsed laser irradiation.

Highly Durable and Fast Response Fabric Strain Sensor for Movement Monitoring Under Extreme Conditions

The exploration of smart electronic textiles is a common goal to improve people’s quality of life.However,current smart e-textiles still face challenges such as being prone to failure under humid or cold conditions,lack of washing durability and chemical fragility.Herein,a multifunctional strain sensor with a negative resistance change was developed based on the excellent elasticity of knitted fabrics.A reduced graphene oxide(rGO)conductive fabric was first obtained by electrostatic self-assembly of chitosan(CS).Then a strain sensor was prepared using a dip-coating process to adsorb nanoscale silica dioxide and poly(dimethylsiloxane)(PDMS).A broad working range of 60%,a fast response time(22 ms)and stable cycling durability over 4000 cycles were simultaneously achieved using the prepared sensor.Furthermore,the sensor showed excel-lent superhydrophobicity,photothermal effects and UV protection,as graphene,silica and PDMS acted in synergy.This multifunctional sensor could be mounted on human joints to perform tasks,including activity monitoring,medical rehabili-tation evaluation and gesture recognition,due to its superior electromechanical capabilities.Based on its multiple superior properties,this sensor could be used as winter sportswear for athletes to track their actions without being impacted by water and as a warmer to ensure the wearer's comfort.