MDT – Nanotechnologies for Textiles

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Academic leader: Victoria Dutschk, University of Twente (The Netherlands ), v.dutschk@utwente.nl

Academic co-leader: Andre ten Elshof, University of Twente (The Netherlands), J.E.tenElshof@utwente.nl

Industrial co-leader: Jan Mahy, Bonar (The Netherlands), Jan.Mahy@bonar.com

Why Nanotechnologies? There is considerable interest in or need to have:

  • Translations of nanotechnologies into applications in functional textile materials
  • Definitions in the field of nanotechnologies/nanomaterials to create a common language
  • Potential EU regulations (e.g. health related, REACH) concerning the use of nanomaterials

How to achieve these goals?

  • Focussing on technical textiles, including nonwoven and woven fabrics, but excluding clothing applications
  • Clustering of the MDT members in 2-3 groups of interests, i.e. according to (i) The desired functionality of the surface through nanomaterials and (ii) Functionalization technology: Surface morphology (physical modification); surface chemistry (physico-chemical, chemical modification)
  • Involving other industrial companies interested in, and selection of functionalities to be obtained by nano technologies/nanomaterials, in close collaboration with the other MDT’s

Our research strategy

  • Surface functionalization of fibre, yarn, textile with a special focus on surface functionalization of fabrics (woven, nonwoven) by inorganic engineered particles in wet-chemical processes
  • Creation of business cases supported by industry, also in order to find additional industrial members in the value chain
  • Developing demonstrators (‘fast prototyping’); examination for up-scaling them for industrial applications (TRL 4-6)
  • Interrelations with MDTs
  • Electrospinning
  • Plasma
  • Smart Textiles
  • Antimicrobial Textiles

Our members:

Institution  Country
National Physical Laboratory
Technitex Faraday Limited
University of Bath
School of Pharmacy, Cardiff University		 UK
Istanbul teknik universitesi
Martur		 Turkey
Institute of solid state physics University of Latvia Latvia
Association UP-tex
University of Mulhouse		 France
Kiev National University of technologies Ukraine
Agfa
Devan		 Belgium
Kaunas University of Technology Lithuania
University of Bergamo
University Federico II, Napoli
Institute for Energetics and Interphases- National Research Council-Genova
Dipartimento di Fisica e Scienze della Terra, Università di Parma		 Italy
National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics Romania
Research Center on Nanoscience Spain
Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade Serbia
Fraunhofer IST, Braunschweig14 Germany
Shinshu University Japan