Steam-treating printed fibrous sheet material to fix ink printed on the material includes conveying the printed material into a steam chamber on a conveyor with a surface containing condensed water. At least some of the condensed water is transferred to the sheet material on the conveyor.

Methods are directed to the use of a supercritical fluid for performing a dyeing of a material such that dye from a first material is used to dye a second material. A supercritical fluid is passed through a first material in a pressurized vessel. The supercritical fluid transports the dye from the first material to at least a second material causing a dye profile of the second material to change as a result of dye from the first material perfusing the second material.

Methods are directed to the use of a supercritical fluid for performing a dyeing of a material such that dye from a first material is used to dye a second material. A supercritical fluid is passed through a first material in a pressurized vessel. The supercritical fluid transports the dye from the first material to at least a second material causing a dye profile of the second material to change as a result of dye from the first material perfusing the second material.

Silk infused performance apparel and methods of preparing the same are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, silk performance apparel includes textiles, fabrics, consumer products, leather, and other materials that are coated with aqueous solutions of pure silk fibroin based protein fragments. In some embodiments, coated apparel products, textiles, and upholstery, as well as other materials, exhibit surprisingly improved moisture management properties, resistance to microbial growth, increased abrasion resistance, and flame resistance.

Systems and methods for plasma treating fiber tows (e.g., carbon fiber tows) are disclosed. The system may be a fiber tow treatment system, including an air-plasma source configured to emit a plasma stream and a support surface spaced apart from the air-plasma source and configured to contact the plasma stream when emitted. First and second guides may be on opposing ends of the support surface and configured to align a moving fiber tow between the support surface and the air-plasma source. The method may include continuously transferring a fiber tow through a first guide, across a support surface, and through a second guide; and air-plasma treating the fiber tow as it crosses the support surface such that a deflection of the fiber tow from the air-plasma treatment is limited by the support surface. The disclosed systems/methods may reduce the damage to fiber tows during plasma treatment.

An apparatus for dye application to textile manufactures, exhaustion of the applied dye, and drying of the textile manufacture. The apparatus, in some implementations, includes a dye applicator that applies dye evenly to a textile manufacture of varying length, one or more microwave elements for heating the textile manufacture with applied dye to exhaust the dye, and a blower system to dry the textile manufacture after application of the applied dye.

A system for synthesizing carbon nanotubes (CNT) on a fiber material includes a surface treatment system adapted to modify the surface of the fiber material to receive a barrier coating upon which carbon nanotubes are to be grown, a barrier coating application system downstream of the surface treatment system adapted to apply the barrier coating to the treated fiber material surface, and a barrier coating curing system downstream of the barrier coating application systems for partially curing the applied barrier coating to enhance reception of CNT growth catalyst nanoparticles.

A phase-transfer catalytic color fixation processing method for textile includes the following steps: (1) dry-dyeing a textile with disperse reactive dyes in supercritical carbon dioxide fluid under waterless condition; (2) putting the textile in a phase-transfer catalytic fixation device, taking phase-transfer catalyst as the carrier of circulated supercritical carbon dioxide fluid, transporting the ionized fixing catalytic alkaline substance from aqueous phase to hydrophobic supercritical carbon dioxide fluid phase, getting full contact with functional groups on fibers, resulting in the fixing catalytic reaction with disperse reactive dyes.

The invention relates to a generator which is generally used in the textile field and integrated into the steaming machines (chambers) enabling the dying material of the pattern-printed or plain-dyed fabrics dyed with the various dyes to be bound on the fabric such as not to be removed again, which enables the dyed fabrics to be kept in the saturated steam, superheated steam or hot air conditions for a certain period of time, and which is capable of forming each of these three phases.

The invention provides a method of coating a fabric, e.g. a textile material, with a polymer coating, which method comprises contacting a fabric with a monomer and subjecting the monomer to low power plasma polymerization, wherein the monomer comprises the general formula (I): C.sub.nF.sub.2n+1C.sub.mX.sub.2mCR.sub.1Y—OCO—C(R.sub.2)═CH.sub.2, wherein n is 2 to 6, m is 0 to 9, X and Y are H, F, Cl, Br or I, R.sub.1 is H or alkyl, e.g. —CH.sub.3, or a substituted alkyl, e.g. an at least partially halo-substituted alkyl, and R.sub.2 is H or alkyl, e.g. —CH.sub.3 or a substituted alkyl, e.g. an at least partially halo-substituted alkyl.