The effects of textile reinforcements on the protective properties of self-healing polymers intended for safety gloves

Abstract

In the environment where glove material is exposed to harmful chemicals, hazards related to faster penetration of dangerous substances into the glove interior may cause microdamage. One of the solutions to overcome this problem is to use the self-healing polymeric materials that can minimize economic loss and accidents in the workplace. The current work aims to present the impact of different types of textile reinforcement on the effectiveness and efficiency of the self-healing process of methyl vinyl silicone rubber containing hybrid molecules with an inorganic silsesquioxane intended for use on all-rubber gloves. Three knitted fabrics with a similar structure and differentiated raw material composition were selected: polyamide, cotton–polyamide, and cotton. Evaluation of the self-healing process of the elastomeric composite to personal protective equipment was performed. For this purpose the assessment of the surface morphology of materials has been performed before and after the self-healing process. The implementation of knitted fabric into the polymeric composite in the tested samples allowed us to obtain the best results in all tests. The studied composite samples exhibited an increased resistance to three types of damage: penetration, abrasion and puncture. The samples also underwent the self-healing processes and regeneration after a proper conditioning period. Thus, the obtained results confirmed the possibility of using tested elastomeric composites in the construction of protective gloves and showed an effectivity of the self-healing process for the long-term usage of that protective equipment.

Self-healing materials for potential use in textile and clothing applications

“…This is the case with research focused on the manufacturing of worker gloves with high protective performance. The main healing composite is composed of methylvinyl silicone rubber containing hybrid molecules with an inorganic silsesquioxane, and the base fabric is made of cotton or polyamide fibers [85]. The results of several tests conclude that the textile shows great resistance to conditions such as penetration, abrasion, and puncture, which makes it very suitable to wear when working with hazardous chemicals.…”

Minireview on Self-Healing Polymers: Versatility, Application, and Prospects

“…To understand the effect of textile reinforcement, three unwoven fabrics of different raw materials and the same structure (polyamide, cotton-polyamide, and cotton) were taken, and it was found that the fabric treated with textile reinforcement shows higher stability. It has also been tested that the composites of methyl vinyl silicon rubber and silsesquioxanes can be upgraded with the addition of textile reinforcement, and these types of composites provide good chemical permeation resis-tance that makes this material suitable for use in barrier protection [69]. For the preparation of a self-healing electromagnetic interference shielding fabric, carbon nanotubepoly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) is aligned on a nonwoven fabric with magnetic field electrospinning and cross-stacking fabric layers that are aligned as shown in Figure 8.…”

Evaluating the effectiveness of coating knitted fabrics with silica nanoparticles for protection from needle-stick injuries

“…Indeed, these gloves must protect the consumers to a well-defined level and at the same time ensure easy and rapid perspiration of the hands when wearing. Based on the Irzma nska et al' studies [11][12][13], protective gloves can be one of the solutions to overcome the use of the self-healing polymeric materials that can minimize economic loss and accidents in the workplace.…”

“…Previous studies have shown that impregnating coating fluids (STF) composed of hard, silica particles into woven, nonwoven and composite fabrics provide protection for users was effectively improved by coating with 20 wt.% SiC particles exhibiting the best stab resistance against knife cut [18][19][20]. However, proposed examples of colloidal solutions based on suspension of silica have been applied to fabrics as shear thickening fluids [4,11,21]. Indeed, they are made by suspension of nanoparticles in polymer or submicron silica particles into fabrics [22,23].…”

“…Textile fabrics are often subject to abrasion, starting from exposed parts of garments to a variety of technical textiles. In fact, based on literature, abrasion protection by usual and nano technical coatings seems fruitful [11].…”