ESR11 - Development of Novel Fiber - Based Structures with Far Infrared Activity for Advanced Therapeutic Treatments

Name: Özkan Yapar

ESR no.: 11

Description of the IRP:

Far Infrared Radiation (FIR) is known to offer novel treatments, promoting regeneration, rapid healing and therapies for the living bodies. FIR reflecting, emitting or absorbing textiles are a new category of functional textiles that have potential positive effects on health. A limited number of products exist in the market using cellulosic fibers with FIR properties that is potential for our research. Cellulose is the most abundant biopolymer on earth and promises to be developed in fiber forms by means of coating and/or surface modification processes.

This research project aims to develop functionalized fibers that comprise a cellulosic source. Coating procedures will be developed to embed inorganic ceramic materials, metals, or metal oxide particles. During this study, polysaccharide derivatives will be used to stabilize and fixate inorganic FIR active particles. Therefore, diverse approaches and hypothesis will be designed. Safety and biological effects of the resulting prototypes of coated RC fibers will be studied, and IR emissivity/reflectivity measurements and anti-bacterial testing will be performed. The chemical changes in the fibres’ surfaces and the bonding mechanism will be characterized using FT-IR/Raman spectroscopy, and the morphological properties by SEM technique. The surface activity and hydrophilicity of the fibres will be analysed by polyelectrolyte titration and tenziometry, electrophoretic mobility and contact angle measurements. Finally, repeated washings of samples will be performed in order to evaluate the efficacy of particles’ bonding in order to evaluate the fibres functionalities. From the most promising FIR-RC yarns will be spun in an industrial manner by ring spinning, and furthermore knitted fabrics will be presumably prepared from these yarns as prototypes.

Keywords:

  • far-infrared radiation, regenerated cellulose, fibers, advanced therapeutic treatment

About the ESR:

I am a textile engineer (B.Sc.) who mainly studied for fiber spinning and conventional textile manufacturing techniques such as weaving, knitting, etc. I studied as an Erasmus exchange student in department of fiber materials science at TUT in spring semester in 2008. In summer 2008, I made my internship as a part of one VTT project i.e. PLASTEK. I obtained my M.Sc. from the department of material sciences at TUT 2014. MSc thesis was awarded by EDANA (European Disposables and Nonwoven Association, Belgium), and was selected as best among the other MSc students, who were invited from EU, Asia and US. I have 2 years business consultancy experience in Finland for various textile companies. I also worked as a project researcher in Finland for (nano) cellulose based RC and bio-composites. I am originally from Izmir, Turkey. I like playing table tennis, ice-hole swimming combination with sauna.

 

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