Textile artificial muscles were developed using weaving to increase the force and knitting to amplify the strain.

Microplastics in the environment are a subject of intense research as they pose a potential threat to marine organisms. Plastic fibers from textiles have been indicated as a major source of this type of contaminant, entering the oceans via wastewater and diverse non-point sources. Their presence is also documented in terrestrial samples. In this study, the amount of microfibers shedding from synthetic textiles was measured for three materials (acrylic, nylon, polyester), knit using different gauges and techniques. All textiles were found to shed, but polyester fleece fabrics shed the greatest amounts, averaging 7360 fibers/m−2/L−1 in one wash, compared with polyester fabrics which shed 87 fibers/m−2/L−1. We found that loose textile constructions shed more, as did worn fabrics, and high twist yarns are to be preferred for shed reduction. Since fiber from clothing is a potentially important source of microplastics, we suggest that smarter textile construction, prewashing and vacuum exhaustion at production sites, and use of more efficient filters in household washing machines could help mitigate this problem.

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geotextiles, airbags, safety belts, reinforcements for composites, many types of medical implants, etc.). A paradigm has for long been that among technical artefacts [4] textiles are passive (no need for power to perform its function), which could be compared with items from other technical spheres such as computers, radios, or cars, that are regarded as active, i.e., needing power, electrical, or otherwise, to perform their function. The dichotomy passiveactive is often used in electronics [5,6] and control theory to classify components. Passive components [7] (conductors, chassis, resistors, etc.) are those that are not intended to impact any signal or energy transferred through it, whereas active ones (batteries, fans, storage device, transistors, diodes, integrated circuits, etc.) are there exactly for doing this. The smart textile community is at a meeting point between textiles and electronics and the distinction of active and passive as used in electronics is mixed with a general common-language one, where active means "doing something." Any mechanical impact on the surrounding, such as moving a mass spatially, is deemed to exert work, i.e., utilize energy. In this text we stipulate as active such artefacts that are able to move any masses, either of the artefact itself or outside of it. As more and more instances accumulate showing that also textile artefacts could be given this property, also textiles are entering into the domain of being regarded as active. In retrospect, there are some early examples of what today could be defined as active textiles. One such example is the Ventile fabric [8] from the 1940s that was used as a waterproof protecting layer. This fabric operated by the swelling ability of cotton yarn hindering water to penetrate beyond the amount used for the very swelling. However, it was not until the 1980s that textiles-especially garments-were "discovered" as a potential arena for enrichment by other kinds of technologies such as sensorics for measuring the wearer as well as monitoring the surrounding. These have interchangeably been denoted as smart textiles, [9] intelligent textiles, [10] or electronic textiles. [11] This "(re)discovery" of textiles as an interesting field for new technical developments is in parallel with the "(re)discovery" of paper, which, although started later moved at a faster pace and printed electronics, [12] paper electronics, [13] or smart papers [14] now have emerged as branches on their own. Both textiles and papers are polymeric, fiber-based, cheap, pliable, flexible, large area (semi) 2D materials that take part in everyday activities of humans and by this being ubiquitous ever present. Textiles and papers have their respective benefits; textiles for Smart textiles have been around for some decades. Even if interactivity is central to most definitions, the emphasis so far has been on the stimuli/ input side, comparatively little has been reported on the responsive/output part. This study discusses the actuating, mechanical, output side in what could be ...

An oxidative chemical vapor deposition (OCVD) process was used to coat flexible textile fiber (viscose) with highly conductive polymer, poly (3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in presence of ferric (III) chloride (FeCl3) oxidant. OCVD is a solvent free process used to get uniform, thin, and highly conductive polymer layer on different substrates. In this paper, PEDOT coated viscose fibers, prepared under specific conditions, exhibited high conductivity 14.2 S/cm. The effects of polymerization conditions, such as polymerization time, oxidant concentration, dipping time of viscose fiber in oxidant solution, and drying time of oxidant treated viscose fiber, were carefully investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and FT‐IR analysis revealed that polymerization of PEDOT on surface of viscose fiber has been taken place and structural analysis showed strong interactions between PEDOT and viscose fiber. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to investigate the amount of PEDOT in PEDOT coated viscose fiber and interaction of PEDOT with viscose fiber. The effect of PEDOT coating on the mechanical properties of the viscose fiber was evaluated by tensile strength testing of the coated fibers.The obtained PEDOT coated viscose fiber having high conductivity, could be used in smart clothing for medical and military applications, heat generation, and solar cell demonstrators. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.