Hyelim Kim  Sunhee Lee

Vol. 53,  No. 2, pp. 109-119, Apr.  2016
10.12772/TSE.2016.53.109

neoprene carbon nanofiber composite Nanoweb thermal storage Thermal insulation water repellent

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The main objective of this study was to develop improved functional textiles for marine leisure clothing. Neoprene fabrics were coated with carbon nanofibers (CNFs)/Poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) composite solution comprising 0-16 wt% CNF in 1-5 wt% PVDF-HFP via electrospinning. Electrospinning was carried out from 15 to 24 kV. Neoprene textiles coated with the CNF/PVDF-HFP composite with various applied voltages were characterized as follows: Morphology was examined using an image analyzer microscope system and a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). The thermal storage property of these materials was also analyzed using a thermal imaging camera with a forward looking infrared (FLIR) system. The resultant samples that were laminated with a knitted fabric composed of 80% nylon and 20% polyurethane were subjected to a thermal insulation property test. The test and control specimens were irradiated for 60 min. The test specimen and the control specimen were analyzed by considering the differences in temperature between both specimens on heating. Water penetration resistance of the laminated knitted fabric with the CNF/PVDF-HFP composite nanoweb-coated neoprene fabric was measured. The water repellent property test was conducted using a drop shape analyzer (DE/DSA 100, Kruse). The results indicated that an increase in the density of nanoweb-coated neoprene fabric surface correlated with improved thermal storage, thermal insulation, water penetration resistance, and water repellent properties. In addition, increasing amounts of CNFs in the CNFs/PVDF-HFP composite solution resulted in increased thermal storage, thermal insulation, and water repellent properties.