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Advanced, multi-functional fibres for novel textiles

Objective

The main emphasis of the program is to develop new technologies for the design and fabrication of advanced fibres. The goal is to create novel, innovative textiles that are highly desirable not only from the fashion point of view, but that are also beneficial and of use in communication, healthcare and protection applications.

Focus will be on how existing and emerging concepts for introducing colour in fibres may be combined, such that not only new colouring options will arise, but that the colour profile of a textile will be DYNAMIC rather than static and passive. We will concentrate on finding pathways that allow incorporation of active species into fibres, such that the latter will undergo reversible [patterned] colour change induced by external stimuli.

New opportunities in 3D-textile fabrication offered by electrospinning will also be investigated. Ultimately, the program is anticipated to introduce new paradigms for textile manufacturing of great interest for both the advancement of European research as well as the entire textile sector.

More specifically, we intend to produce high-tech, advanced textile fibres by:
- nanostructuring the fibre surfaces, such that incoming light is reflected and refracted according to the composition and dimensions of the relief structures created
- incorporating active, photochromic nanoparticles (e.g. TiO2) into the fibres iii) investigating novel electrospinning procedures

Our program requires a multi-disciplinary effort, which necessitates to strongly interweave research fields, ranging from polymer science, chemistry and physics, to the arts and design.

A strong collaboration with the University of the Arts, London, has been established, and a Nanocenter for the Creative Industries has been created at the host institution, equipped with textile manufacturing tools relevant to this project; combined with the set of skills and expertise of the applicant, an ideal platform for conducting the present program.

Call for proposal

FP6-2005-MOBILITY-5
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

QUEEN MARY AND WESTFIELD COLLEGE
EU contribution
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Address
Mile End Road
LONDON
United Kingdom

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