10 October 2009, New York – Reportlinker.com has added ‘Innovations in Textiles’, a new market research report covering the latest innovations in the technical textiles industry. The following are some of the highlights of the report:

Rayonier has developed a highly absorbent cross-linked cellulose fibre for use in incontinence garments, Weyerhaeuser has patented an economical biodegradable superabsorbent fibre, and SRI International has a range of novel biodegradable polyolefin copolymers.

Hills have a method for forming ultra-fine spunbond fibres for fabrics and nonwovens. Autoliv has developed an improved airbag to protect vehicle occupants, and Johnson Controls has a novel idea for integrating a seamed textile airbag into car seats. Coroplast Fritz Müller has patented a needlepunched nonwoven adhesive tape for taping cable looms in car engines, and Triosyn Holding has a novel electrostatic nonwoven filter designed to kill entrapped micro-organisms.

In the area of personal protection, a new laminate for face masks protects against toxic materials while Milliken and SSM Industries have each developed improved flame resistant fabrics for protective clothing. Innovative Textiles has a high visibility flame resistant textile employing modacrylic fibres while a flame resistant nonwoven composite fabric which is both durable and economic has been developed by another inventor for military combat garments. An exciting development at the University of Zürich provides extremely water-repellent clothing, including swimwear, by coating polyester fibres with silicone nanofilaments. MMI-IPCO’s unitary thermal fabrics provide variable insulation over different areas of the body by using phase change or biomimetic materials.

Researchers at William Marsh Rice University have devised an ingenious single-step process for converting carbon nanotubes to macroscopic carbon fibres for composites and electrical connectors. Textronics has produced composite yarns for smart textiles which can conduct electrical, optical, magnetic or thermal energy. Thermal Solutions offers heated clothing controlled by a wireless sensor, and Dhama Apparel Innovations has a sophisticated method for heating or cooling apparel using a thermoelectric device and evaporative cooling.

A new system for illuminating outer clothing for safety purposes has been invented, while 3M has an improved fluorochemical dirt-repellent treatment for carpets and medical nonwovens. Other textile treatments include a polyacrylate treatment from Nano-Tex which renders synthetic fibres hydrophilic and provides greater comfort. Kimberly-Clark has a new method of improving the exhaustion of dyes on to cellulosic fibres using a polyvinylamine link between dye and fibre. The method also improves fibre properties. G&K Services has developed an updated method for inspecting sanitised garments used in the food industry.