Thermal Stability, Flammability and Mechanical Performances of Unsaturated Polyester-Melamine Resin Blends and of Glass Fibre-Reinforced Composites Based on Them.

A novel blend of unsaturated polyester (UP) resin with an inherently flame-retardant and char-forming melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin has been prepared with the aim of reducing the flammability of the former. MF resin, sourced as a spray-dried resin, was dissolved in diethyleneglycol solvent; the dissolved resin and the UP-MF blend were autocured by heating under conditions normally used for curing UP, i.e.

Selective Electroless Copper Plating of Ink-Jet Printed Textiles Using a Copper-Silver Nanoparticle Catalyst.

The electroless copper plating of textiles, which have been previously printed with a catalyst, is a promising method to selectively metallise them to produce high-reliability e-textiles, sensors and wearable electronics with wide-ranging applications in high-value sectors such as healthcare, sport, and the military. In this study, polyester textiles were ink-jet printed using differing numbers of printing cycles and printing directions with a functionalised copper-silver nanoparticle catalyst, followed by electroless copper plating. The catalyst was characterised using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Ultraviolet/Visible (UV/Vis) spectroscopy.

The Efficacy of Polymer Coatings for the Protection of Electroless Copper Plated Polyester Fabric.

The selective metallisation of textiles is becoming a very important process in the development of electronic or e-textiles. This study investigated the efficacy of polymer coatings for the protection of copper (Cu) conductive tracks electroless plated on polyester (PES) fabric against laundering and rubbing, without essentially affecting the physical-mechanical and optical properties of the base material. After the electroless deposition of a consistent layer of Cu onto PES, four polymers were applied individually by screen-printing or padding.