With the increasing demand for smart wearable clothing, the textile piezoelectric pressure sensor (T-PEPS) that can harvest mechanical energy directly has attracted significant attention. However, the current challenge of T-PEPS lies in remaining the outstanding output performance without compromising its wearing comfort. Here, a novel structural hierarchy T-PEPS based on the single-crystalline ZnO nanorods are designed. The T-PEPS is constructed with three layers mode consisting of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, the top and bottom layers of conductive rGO polyester (PET) fabrics with self-orientation ZnO nanorods. As a result, the as-fabricated T-PEPS shows low detection limit up to 8.71 Pa, high output voltage to 11.47 V and superior mechanical stability. The sensitivity of the sensor is 0.62 V·kPa⁻¹ in the pressure range of 0–2.25 kPa. Meanwhile, the T-PEPS is employed to detect human movements such as bending/relaxation motion of the wrist, bending/stretching motion of each finger. It is demonstrated that the T-PEPS can be up-scaled to promote the application of wearable sensor platforms and self-powered devices.

Durable, reversible color changing polyester fabrics were successfully fabricated via a new approach of dyeing with thermochromic leuco dye-loaded silica nanocapsules (TLD@SiO₂). TLD@SiO₂ was prepared via tetraethyl orthosilicate hydrolyzation and condensation on the surfaces of emulsified thermochromic leuco dye (TLD) nano-droplets by a sol–gel method. The TLD@SiO₂ was about 20 nm in size, and its shell could provide protection for TLD. The color of TLD@SiO₂ changed from dark blue (25 °C) to light blue (45 °C) and white (80 °C), reversibly. The thermochromic mechanism originated from the conjugation structure conversion of the crystal violet lactone which was confirmed by density functional theory calculations. The shell materials (Si–O–Si) of TLD@SiO₂ could be hydrated in water with temperature increase and produced hydrophilic hydroxyl groups for further treating polyester fabrics. These resulting polyester fabrics exhibited excellent thermochromic performance with a color transition temperature of 45 °C. Their color reversibly changed from dark blue (K/S = 12) to light blue (K/S = 2) at 610 nm for more than 50 times. Meanwhile, thermochromic polyester fabrics dyed at 130 °C displayed good color fastness. The washing, dry rubbing and wet rubbing fastness of the thermochromic polyester fabrics all reached above 4 grades, and the thermochromic polyester fabrics showed good solvent resistance.

TiO2sol was prepared for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The absorption spectra of MB indicated that the maximum wavelength, 663 nm, almost kept the same. The performance of 92.3% for color removal was reached after 160 min. The particle size ofTiO2sol was about 22.5 nm. X-ray diffraction showed thatTiO2consisted of a single anatase phase. The small size and anatase phase probably resulted in high photocatalytic activity ofTiO2sol. The degradation ratio decreased as the initial concentration of MB increased. The photodegradation efficiency decreased in the order ofpH2>pH9>pH7. Regarding catalyst load, the degradation increased with the mass of catalyst up to an amount of 1.5 g⋅L−1then decreased as the mass continued to increase. The addition ofH2O2toTiO2sol resulted in an increase on the degradation ratio.

Fragrance compounds and essential oils are chosen carefully taking advantage of research works in aromatherapy. Considering their volatile nature, the fragrance molecules have to be formed as inclusion compounds with cyclodextrin molecules in order to retain fragrances for a long time. To prepare aromatherapeutic textiles, β-cyclodextrin is the first choice as the host molecule, because β-cyclodextrin molecules are capable of forming inclusion compounds with organic compounds that fit into their own cone-shaped hydrophobic cavities. As a result of the inclusion, the physicochemical properties of the compounds are changed; for example, the vapor pressure of the volatile substance is reduced and the stabilities against light and air are enhanced. The functional textile with the “guest-host” effect may be achieved by anchoring the inclusion compound. The sedative effects for emotion and the pharmaceutical effects of essential oils are shown in detail. X-ray powder diffraction spectrum shows that lavender oils can form inclusion compounds with β-cyclodextrin. The effects of the nature of essential oils, such as detection threshold and tenacity on the fragrance-release property are discussed. The inclusion compounds are fixed onto fabric by the traditional pad method to obtain the medical textile with aromatherapy effect. The results of sensorial evaluations shows that the perfume of the fabrics can last for more than 30 days.