A study on the functionalization of cotton and viscose fabrics to achieve bifunctional conductive and antibacterial properties was carried out; 0.5 wt% AgNW ethanolic colloid was prepared, and fabrics were dipped and dried in the colloid 1, 10 and 15 times. After one dipping, both fabrics remained nonconductive, and the surface resistance (R _s) of cotton was 4.9 × 10¹⁰ and of viscose 3.6 × 10¹¹ Ω. Excellent conductivity properties were shown in cotton fabric after 10 dippings (20 Ω) and in viscose fabric after 15 dippings (46 Ω). The Ag content of these fabrics was 53.3 and 52.3% (SEM/EDX analysis) and 13.77 and 14.12% (TG/DTG analysis) for cotton and viscose, respectively. XRD analysis revealed the presence of AgNWs on the fabric surface. FTIR/ATR, Raman and TG analysis confirmed the effects of modifications. The AgNW layers on both fabric surfaces were resistant to abrasion. After 50 washes of the modified cotton fabric, R _s increased from 20 to 195 Ω. The AgNW layer was stable and the fabric still highly conductive. However, viscose fabric became nonconductive after two washes, and the surface resistance increased from 46 to 1.4 × 10¹¹ Ω. The tensile strength of cotton modified with AgNWs increased by about 49% and for viscose decreased by about 27%. AgNW-modified cotton fabric showed a significant antibacterial effect against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae bacteria. The presented method is more suitable for cotton because the modified cotton fabric retains the mechanical and conductive properties even after many washes.

Catalysis has been a key way of improving the efficiency-to-cost ratio of chemical and electrochemical processes. There have been recent developments in catalyst materials that enable the development of novel and more sophisticated devices that, for example, can be used in applications, such as membranes, batteries or fuel cells. Since catalytic reactions occur on the surface, most catalyst materials are based on open porous structures, which facilitates the transport of fluids (gas or liquid) and chemical (or electrochemical) specific surface activity, thus determining the overall efficiency of the device. Noble metals are typically used for low temperature catalysis, whereas lower cost materials, such as nickel, are used for catalysis at elevated temperatures. 3D printing has the potential to produce a more sophisticated fit for purpose catalyst material. This article presents the development, fabrication and performance comparison of three thermoplastic composites where PLA (polylactic acid), PVB (polyvinyl butyral) or ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) were used as the matrix, and nickel particles were used as filler with various volume fractions, from 5 to 25 vol%. The polymer–metal composites were extruded in the form of filaments and then used for 3D FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printing. The 3D printed composites were heat treated to remove the polymer and sinter the nickel particles. 3D printed composites were also prepared using nickel foam as a substrate to increase the final porosity and mechanical strength of the material. The result of the study demonstrates the ability of the optimized filament materials to be used in the fabrication of high open porosity (over 60%) structures that could be used in high-temperature catalysis and/or electrocatalysis.

The study presents a rapid method of SnO ₂ shell formation on AgNWs for both high environmental stability and thermal management on para -aramid fabric.

This study presents core/shell Ag/SnO₂ nanowires (Ag/SnO₂NWs) as a new photocatalyst for the rapid degradation of organic compounds by the light from the visible range. AgNWs after coating with a SnO₂ shell change optical properties and, due to red shift of the absorbance maxima of the longitudinal and transverse surface plasmon resonance (SPR), modes can be excited by the light from the visible light region. Rhodamine B and malachite green were respectively selected as a model organic dye and toxic one that are present in the environment to study the photodegradation process with a novel one-dimensional metal/semiconductor Ag/SnO₂NWs photocatalyst. The degradation was investigated by studying time-dependent UV/Vis absorption of the dye solution, which showed a fast degradation process due to the presence of Ag/SnO₂NWs photocatalyst. The rhodamine B and malachite green degraded after 90 and 40 min, respectively, under irradiation at the wavelength of 450 nm. The efficient photocatalytic process is attributed to two phenomenon surface plasmon resonance effects of AgNWs, which allowed light absorption from the visible range, and charge separations on the Ag core and SnO₂ shell interface of the nanowires which prevents recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The presented properties of Ag/SnO₂NWs can be used for designing efficient and fast photodegradation systems to remove organic pollutants under solar light without applying any external sources of irradiation.