Leather and Footwear Journal

Volume 24, no 2

Contents
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ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING PROPERTIES OF POLYPYRROLE TREATED LEATHER: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
- Pages 99-108
  Ilda KAZANI^{1, *}, Stelios MITILINEOS², Majlinda HYLLI², Aulon SHABANI³, Savvas VASSILIADIS², Genti GUXHO¹
  - ¹Textile and Fashion Department, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Sheshi “Nënë Tereza”, No. 1, 1001, Tirana, Albania, e-mail: ikazani@fim.edu.al
  - ²Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of West Attica, P. Ralli & Thivon 250, 12241 Athens, Greece
  - ³Department of Electrotechnics, Polytechnic University of Tirana, Sheshi “Nënë Tereza”, No. 1, 1001, Tirana, Albania
  ABSTRACT. Due to the increase in electromagnetic waves emitted by the electrical and electronic equipment surrounding us, protection from electromagnetic waves has become a very important subject. It is thereby proposed that conductive textiles and fabrics are used for protection of sensitive equipment and personnel from electromagnetic interference. Conductive textiles are considered to be a particular sub-genre of technical textiles and exhibit favourable electromagnetic shielding properties together with a list of other attributes that make them suitable for such applications. In more detail, conductive textiles exhibit light weight and low volume while being comfortable to wear, conforming to different shapes of surfaces and everyday objects (thus being easily integrated within the surrounding environment), being aesthetically appealing, etc. In this context, most of the literature-available shielding textiles or fabrics used are either conventional or conductive fabrics that are further coated with metal layers for extra conductivity and shielding. However, metal shielding exhibits certain disadvantages: it is prone to corrosion while corrosion-resistant materials (such as silver or gold) are extremely expensive; it is difficult to process; and it compromises the comfortability and aesthetic appeal of the final product. Herein, we propose the usage of electrically conductive leather for efficient shielding from electromagnetic interference. The motivation for this work is twofold: first, leather materials are seldom if not at all used for electromagnetic shielding and we wanted to close that gap for an industry sector (leather clothes and garments) that is thriving. Second, we are using one or more layers of polypyrrole treatment (PPy) to inherit conductivity to leather surfaces. We show that PPy is sufficient treatment for inheriting very satisfactory electromagnetic shielding properties all the while maintaining the comparative advantages of a non-metal-processed fabric surface (e.g. comfortability, aesthetic appeal etc.). We demonstrate a variety of different PPy treated leather samples and illustrate that electromagnetic shielding is proportional to the number of PPy layers used for leather processing. The measurements results are obtained using RF and microwave high-frequency equipment in a controlled laboratory environment within the X-microwave band (8-12 GHz).
  
  KEY WORDS: electromagnetic shielding, X-band, microwave shielding, leather materials, polypyrrole treatment
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INFLUENCE OF COMPATIBILIZER AND SHORT HEMP FIBRES ON THE MECHANICAL, RHEOLOGICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF RECYCLED POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE
- Pages 109-130
  Maria SÖNMEZ¹, Laurenția ALEXANDRESCU¹, Mihai GEORGESCU¹, Dana Florentina GURĂU¹, Maria Daniela STELESCU¹, Denisa FICAI^{2, *}, Anton FICAI^{2, 3}, Roxana TRUȘCĂ², Ioana Lavinia ARDELEAN², Doina CONSTANTINESCU⁴, Cristina Elisabeta PELIN⁵, George PELIN⁵, Adriana ȘTEFAN⁵
  - ¹National Research & Development Institute for Textiles and Leather–Division: Leather and Footwear Research Institute, 93 Ion Minulescu St., Bucharest, Romania
  - ²National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science; 1-7 Polizu St., Bucharest, Romania
  - ³Academy of Romanian Scientists, Independentei St. 54; Bucharest, Romania
  - ⁴SC MONOFIL S.R.L., 1 Uzinei St., Savinesti, Romania
  - ⁵National Institute for Aerospace Research “Elie Carafoli”, 220 Bd. Iuliu Maniu St., Bucharest, Romania
  ABSTRACT. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the influence of maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene (PE-g-MA) and untreated/treated hemp fibers on the properties of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PETr). Blends based on PETr, PETr/PE-g-MA (70:30wt%) and composites (67.30:28.85:3.85wt%) based on PETr/PE-g-MA/untreated/treated short hemp fibres with 1-5wt% TiO₂ were obtained. Composites were processed using Brabender Plasticorder mixer at 240°C for 7min and pressed to fabricate test specimens. The decoration of hemp fibres with oxide nanoparticles followed by embedding in PETr leads to the fabrication of composites with improved mechanical and thermal properties, this technology being suitable to reuse PET and to develop added-value products.
  
  KEY WORDS: polymer blend or composite, hemp fiber, torque, TiO₂, polyethylene wax, flexural and impact properties
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USE OF GELATIN BINDER AS A BASE COAT IN THE FINISHING PROCESS OF TANNED RABBIT SKIN
- Pages 131-140
  Dwi WULANDARI^{1, *}, Thoyib Rohman HAKIM¹, SUGIYANTO²
  - ¹Department of Leather Processing Technology, Polytechnic ATK Yogyakarta, South Ring Road, Sewon, Bantul, Yogyakarta 55188 Indonesia, Tel. +620274383727, dwiw2313@gmail.com
  - ²Department of Leather Products Processing Technology, Polytecnik ATK Yogyakarta, South Ring Road, Sewon, Bantul, Yogyakarta 55188 Indonesia, Tel. +620274383727
  ABSTRACT. Research on the use of bovine split hide gelatin protein binder for the finishing process of rabbit crust skin has been carried out. This research aimed to study the use of gelatin as a protein binder as a substitute for patent binders for finishing tanned rabbit crust skin and to obtain the best percentage of using gelatin as a protein binder in the finishing process of tanned rabbit skins. The materials used in this study were 20 sheets of Rex rabbit skin with an area of 21.25 square feet (sqft), bovine split hide gelatin, casein, and tanning agents. The research treatment was T1 base coat solution plus 50 parts of gelatin, T2 plus 70 parts, T3 plus 90 parts and TK using casein binder as much as 70 parts with five repetitions. Data were analyzed using a one-way completely randomized design, if there were differences between treatments it was continued with Duncan’s Multiple Region tests. The results showed that there were significant differences in each parameter except for the drop test before the base coat. The results for the drop test before base coat ranged from 12-14 seconds, after base coat 18-33 seconds, tensile strength around 9.31-13.72 kgf/m2, elongation 41.27-60.28%, water absorption after 2 hours 206.15-228.81%, water absorption after 24 hours 212.43 -241.43%, wet rubbing resistance slightly fading (3/4), dry rubbing resistance not fading (4) and ring 25 flexibility between 4.6-5.2 cm. Gelatin from bovine split hide can replace casein as a binder in finishing solutions. The use of gelatin up to 70 parts can be used in the finishing solution for rabbit crust skin and can replace casein.
  
  KEY WORDS: finishing solution, gelatin, protein binder, rabbit skin
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REVIEW OF AVANT-GARDE CONCEPT IN FOOTWEAR RESEARCH AND DESIGN AND APPLICATION TRENDS
- Pages 141-156
  Tong Zhan CUI^{1, *}, Rafiu King RAJI², Jian Lin HAN², Yuan CHEN²
  - ¹Wenzhou Polytechnic, Wenzhou, 325035, Zhejiang Province, P.R. China, 340585341@qq.com
  - ²Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Functional Materials and Devices, Huizhou University, Huizhou city, 516001, Guangdong Province, P. R. China, mrkingraji@outlook.com
  ABSTRACT. Whether originating from a deliberate intention or emerging from subconscious, spontaneous doodling, design concepts perform the crucial role of demonstrating the vision of a final product. Even though academic discourse on design concepts is prevalent in all fields of design, the same cannot be said about footwear design. Academic discussion about footwear design concept is usually rooted in comfort and functionality. This paper aims to enhance the academic conversation on footwear design concepts by exploring the avant-garde concept in footwear design, its impact and significance. Avant-garde describes a French medieval military lexicon that literally translates to vanguard, or advanced guard, referring to the frontline of the army. However, the applicative meaning of the term is an intellectual, artistic and cultural movement characterized by experimental, radical and unorthodox approaches to the arts. Therefore, in actuality, for a product or idea to be considered avant-garde is to dwell outside of the established norms and confines of a discipline. Despite the widespread usage of the terminology in contemporary fashion circles, academic discourse on specifically named avant-garde footwear is rather sparse. This study thus sets out to fill out this academic gap by first discussing the concept of avant-garde in fashion generally, some notable avant-garde designers/artists and their contributions, important avant-garde concepts in footwear design and finally the areas of avant-garde footwear applications. The study contends that although avant-garde fashion and for that matter footwear is thought to satisfy a specific niche, its impact is significantly observable in the trends of mainstream fashion.
  
  KEY WORDS: design concept, fashion design, co-branding, design innovation, brand perception
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RESEARCH ON FOOT ANTHROPOMETRY AND COMPLICATIONS OF WOMEN WITH DIABETES IN VIETNAM
- Pages 157-168
  Van-Huan BUI*, Duy-Nam PHAN
  - Faculty of Textile – Leather and Fashion, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, No. 1, Dai Co Viet, Hai Ba Trung, Hanoi, Vietnam
  ABSTRACT. Diabetes is a dangerous, chronic disease that frequently causes foot complications. Diabetes patients are at risk for amputation due to the serious complications of foot ulcers. Shoes made specifically for people with diabetes might greatly reduce this issue. It is crucial to wear shoes that are specifically made for the patient based on their anthropometric measurements and the evaluation of foot damage. The foot anthropometric and foot damage study results of 295 female diabetic patients at Khoai Chau District Medical Centre, Hung Yen Province, and the National Hospital of Endocrinology of Vietnam are presented in this research. The results showed that there were differences in measurements of height, width, and foot circumference between the two groups of patients. This discrepancy, which is independent of age, is caused by the level of problems or injuries to the feet. Women with diabetes often experience worsening foot injuries over the course of the illness. According to the level of foot complications, up to 96.69% of female patients with diabetes require “Extra Depth Diabetic Shoes”; 17.9% of patients needed “Custom Molded Inlays/insoles”; 3.1% of patients need to use “Custom Molded Diabetic Shoes” and “Custom Molded Inlays”.
  
  KEY WORDS: diabetic foot, foot anthropometry, therapy shoes, custom diabetic shoes
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