Types and functions of functional yarns
Through material innovation and structural design, functional yarns comprehensively cover the needs of medical, sports, industrial and environmental protection fields, and promote the transformation of the textile industry to high technology and high value-added.
1. Health Protection
Adopting silver ion, copper-modified polyester fiber or micro-nanotechnology to inhibit bacterial growth and reduce odor, applied to underwear, towels and other intimate textiles. Touch the surface with obvious smoothness (e.g. copper-modified polyester fiber).
Cases: bamboo pulp fiber and cotton blended yarn, copper-modified polyester/modal blended yarn.
Through fiber modification or adding anti-virus components (such as seaweed fiber) to reduce the rate of virus adhesion, applicable to medical protection products and home textiles. Laboratory testing is required to determine the effect of virus adhesion reduction.
2. Environmental adaptation
Accelerate the absorption and evaporation of sweat through fiber cross-section isomorphism or hydrophilic treatment, mostly used in sportswear and high-temperature work clothes.
Adopting ultrafine fiber or composite structure to achieve a balance between waterproof and breathability, commonly used in outdoor punching jackets and tents. Drip test surface is impermeable and breathable.
Adding flame retardant or ultraviolet absorber, used in firefighting clothing, outdoor equipment, to enhance the protection ability under high temperature or bright light environment. Direct ignition test to observe whether it is self-extinguishing.
3. Smart Technology
Combined with conductive fibers (e.g. carbon fiber, metal wire) to achieve signal transmission, used in smart wearable devices to monitor heart rate, body temperature and other physiological data. Conductivity can be detected with a multimeter.
Embedded with phase change material (PCM) or hollow fiber structure to dynamically regulate body temperature, applied to thermal underwear and outdoor clothing. The dynamic change of temperature can be observed by temperature sensing tester.
Core yarn, wrapped yarn and other special structural design, both elasticity and abrasion resistance, used in stretch fabrics, industrial textiles.
4. Eco-friendly materials
The use of plant-based polyester and water-soluble cashmere yarns reduces petroleum dependence and enhances biodegradability.
Blended combination of polyester/cotton, viscose/cotton, modal, etc., integrating the advantages of different fibers (e.g., antibacterial+moisture-absorbing+abrasion-resistant), expanding the application scenarios. Chemical dissolution method is required for separation and verification.
Initial screening: lock the functional category (e.g. antibacterial, flame retardant) according to the application or label;
Physical testing: de-twisting experiments to distinguish the spinning process, microscopic observation of fiber composition;
Functional verification: targeted experiments (conductivity, flame retardancy, water resistance);
Cross-comparison: Confirmation of performance parameters in combination with industry standards (e.g., ISO 20743 antimicrobial test).
Through multi-dimensional testing and process characterization, functional yarn types can be efficiently differentiated and their claimed performance verified
Technology and Innovation Direction
Technological process: micro and nano inlay spinning, composite spinning, high count spinning to enhance functionality and comfort.
Development trend: multifunctional integration (e.g. antibacterial + thermoregulation + conductive), green preparation (plant-based raw materials), intelligent (sensing + data interaction).
