Structural design and vertical wicking behavior of cotton roving-based materials for nutrient transport of indoor plant

The liquid transport capacity in a fibrous textile is of great crucial in comprehensively assessing the final moisture management. In this work, several materials were prepared based on cotton rovings by regulating some technological parameters such as twist and ply number, and the effects of the above key parameters on vertical wicking behavior of cotton roving-based materials were investigated. To effectively improve the wicking rate of materials, three hydrophilic schemes were introduced. The experimental results indicated that the maximum vertical wicking height was obtained when samples treated with a mixed solution of 1.5% JFC and 3% NaOH. Subsequently, several cotton roving-based materials were fabricated based on the optimized hydrophilic treatment. It was found that, the as-prepared materials exhibit a twist-reduced wicking effect, and a ply number-strengthen effect. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms in the above two cases were unraveled. Finally, our prepared cotton roving-based materials served as a nutrient absorbing medium were demonstrated. Such work provides certain support for an in-depth understanding of wicking behavior of microporous textile structures.