Disclosed is a method of crosslinking hair or other keratin fibers by (i) providing a crosslinking agent comprising an oxidized sugar having at least two aldehyde groups; and (ii) infiltrating a plurality of non-crosslinked hair or other keratin fibers with the crosslinking agent under conditions effective to cause protein molecules contained in the non-crosslinked hair or other keratin fibers to become crosslinked, thereby yielding a population of crosslinked hair or other keratin fibers. The protein molecules include amine groups that react with the aldehyde groups of the oxidized sugar to yield the crosslinked hair or other keratin fibers. Also disclosed are formulations for crosslinking hair or other keratin fibers and methods of using the formulations to treat human hair to maintain a desired three dimensional structure. This formulation includes a crosslinking agent having a plurality of oxidized sugars having at least two aldehyde groups or mixture thereof.

Disclosed is a method of crosslinking protein fibers, including wool fibers, by (i) providing a crosslinking agent including an oxidized sugar mixture having a plurality of different oxidized sugars of different molecular lengths and having at least two aldehyde groups (e.g., oxidized soy flour sugars); and (ii) infiltrating a plurality of non-crosslinked protein fibers with the crosslinking agent under conditions effective to cause protein molecules contained in the non-crosslinked protein fibers to become crosslinked. This method yields a population of crosslinked protein fibers, where the protein molecules of the non-crosslinked protein fibers include amine groups that react with the aldehyde groups of the oxidized sugars to achieve the crosslinking of the protein molecules to yield the crosslinked protein fibers.

Disclosed is a method of crosslinking protein fibers, including wool fibers, by (i) providing a crosslinking agent including an oxidized sugar mixture having a plurality of different oxidized sugars of different molecular lengths and having at least two aldehyde groups (e.g., oxidized soy flour sugars); and (ii) infiltrating a plurality of non-crosslinked protein fibers with the crosslinking agent under conditions effective to cause protein molecules contained in the non-crosslinked protein fibers to become crosslinked. This method yields a population of crosslinked protein fibers, where the protein molecules of the non-crosslinked protein fibers include amine groups that react with the aldehyde groups of the oxidized sugars to achieve the crosslinking of the protein molecules to yield the crosslinked protein fibers.

The invention relates to an electroconductive staple fibers, fabrics and other substrates. The invention further relates to fibers fabrics and other articles of manufacture produced using the method. The method and articles of manufacture find particular use in functional wearable garments, e.g., outerwear, gloves, and in devices in which electroconductivity is desirable. Exemplary devices include a fiber, fabric or leather substrate or component.

Methods, apparatus and kits for modifying natural feathers that are used in sporting goods that result in long lasting feathers with increased mechanical stability, reliability and durability as well as improved flight consistency are disclosed. Some of the sporting goods that use natural feathers are badminton shuttlecocks, arrow fletchings, and darts. The disclosed methods consist of controlled treatment of feather shuttlecocks with crosslinking agents to crosslink the keratin protein present on the natural feathers of the shuttlecock.

Methods, apparatus and kits for modifying natural feathers that are used in sporting goods that result in long lasting feathers with increased mechanical stability, reliability and durability as well as improved flight consistency are disclosed. Some of the sporting goods that use natural feathers are badminton shuttlecocks, arrow fletchings, and darts. The disclosed methods consist of controlled treatment of feather shuttlecocks with crosslinking agents to crosslink the keratin protein present on the natural feathers of the shuttlecock.

The present invention provides a modified fibroin fiber having a shrinkage history of being irreversibly shrunk after spinning, the modified fibroin fiber containing modified fibroin, wherein a fiber diameter of a raw material fiber before being irreversibly shrunk exceeds 25 μm.

The present invention relates to a waterborne sizing composition for treating natural fibers to be used as reinforcing material in thermoplastic, comprising: (a) a polymeric material having structure (I) wherein, R represents an alkyl group, X represents a reversible covalently bonded crosslinkable group, p, q, and r represent order on a main polymer chain, wherein the total sum of order greater than 50; (b) a water-soluble metal complex having an antimicrobial property; and (c) a redox active water-soluble compound.

##STR00001##

The present invention relates to a waterborne sizing composition for treating natural fibers to be used as reinforcing material in thermoplastic, comprising: (a) a polymeric material having structure (I) wherein, R represents an alkyl group, X represents a reversible covalently bonded crosslinkable group, p, q, and r represent order on a main polymer chain, wherein the total sum of order greater than 50; (b) a water-soluble metal complex having an antimicrobial property; and (c) a redox active water-soluble compound.

##STR00001##

A multispectral camouflage fabric having a camouflage pattern containing a least a first, second, and third color. Each of the first, second, and third colors contain at least one dye and at least one of the first, second, and third colors contains carbon black. The camouflage pattern has a short wave infrared (SWIR) reflectance pattern and contains first, second, and third reflectance zones. Each reflectance zone has an upper and lower reflectance zone boundary and the difference between the upper and lower first reflectance zone boundaries is approximately 10 percentage points. The difference between the first and second zone and the second and third zone is approximately 10 percentage points. At essentially all wavelengths within the SWIR portion of the spectrum, the first color falls within the first zone boundaries, the second color falls within the second zone boundaries, and the third color falls within the third zone boundaries.