Polysaccharide fibres in textiles

Abstract

Besides naturally grown cellulose fibres like cotton, hemp or flax, interest in textile fibres made up from regenerated cellulose is growing. By sure the use of a polymer material, which is provided by nature in huge amounts, favours its use as more sustainable material compared to oil-based products. However, a much stronger argument is the high variability of the properties that can be achieved, which allows design an extremely wide range of products. In this chapter the main characteristics of textile fibres from regenerated cellulose are highlighted. Dependent on the production process, pore characteristics, accessibility and surface can be shaped. The chemical reactivity of the cellulose polymer and the swelling behaviour of the fibrous structure permit many chemical conversion processes towards specialised products Representative examples for fibre modifications are highlighted in this chapter, among them are fibre reorganisation during swelling processes, accessibility-controlled reactivity, plasma treatment for surface modification, antimicrobial functionalisation, deposition of magnetic nanoparticles and incorporation of pigments. The given examples demonstrate the diversity of processing strategies which all lead to unique products with specific functionality.