Fog-catching fabrics collect water

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China, turned a cotton fabric into water-collecting material by coating it with a polymer that changes its microstructure when air temperatures change. The spongy fabric absorbs moisture direc…
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Phoning it in: smart accessories for fitness

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

The Apple Store offers dozens of sports coaching and fitness applications for the company’s iPhone, iPod and iPad technologies, including 321 Run, iSmoothrun and Runtastic. Using those apps while on the move can be challenging—unless athletes add a Runalyzer blue from Runware, Saint-Denis, Franc…
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Spacer fabrics for sound control

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

In Karl Mayer’s acoustic-damping, warp-knitted spacer textiles a monofilament yarn is used in the spacer layer and the outer surfaces are made from a textured yarn for effective sound absorption. The upper and lower sides, with microscopic roughness, reflect impinging sound waves; the space betwee…
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Devious seed inspires color-shifting fibers

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

The bright blue seed of the South American “bastard hogberry” has little nutritional value, but its bright color mimics that of a more nutritious seed, deceiving birds into eating the “ringer.” and spreading its seeds far and wide. Researchers at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., and the…
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Cotton fabric collects water from fog

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

Researchers from Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China, turned a cotton fabric into water-collecting material by applying a coating of PNIPAAm, a polymer, to the cotton fabric. At lower temperatures, this cotton has a sponge-like structure a…
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Portable shields, top-level protection

May 1, 2013  |  What's New?

Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams confront weapons of increasing deadliness in conflicts with terror suspects, mass shooters, criminals or rioters well versed in guns and gear. SWAT teams use equipment designed for high-risk situations, including urban close-quarters combat, hostage crises an…
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Teijin develops radiation-shielding aramid fabric

April 25, 2013  |  What's New?

Teijin Limited has developed a new aramid fiber fabric that protects users against X-ray and gamma ray radiation. Starting in May, the company will provide samples to selected customers for applications such as protective clothing and sheet materials used in areas with high radiation levels. The new…
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The next generation of nanotubes

April 2, 2013  |  What's New?

It looks like black cotton thread, but it conducts electricity and heat like a metal wire and is as strong as carbon fibers. This next-generation nanotechnology has emerged from the intertwined efforts of top-tier researchers from Rice University, Houston, Texas; Teijin Aramid, Amhem, The Netherland…
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D3O® Smart Skin provides a low-profile protective layer

April 2, 2013  |  What's New?

Designed for sports applications, D3O® Smart Skin provides a lightweight and low-profile protective layer that can be directly applied to the garment for better comfort, flexibility and a low-profile geometry. It features the British company’s new D3O Aero technology–a lightweight, soft, open-c…
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Nylon fabric proven to cool wearers

April 2, 2013  |  What's New?

NILIT® Breeze is a nylon 6.6 fiber proven to cool wearers by almost one degree Celsius in comparison to fabrics knitted with standard fibers. The yarn’s cooling effect comes from a special cross section—the insertion of an inorganic additive in the polymer itself and a unique texturing process.…
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