Year: 2019
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: In November 2017, the title of the International Symposium on \nMaterials from Renewables (ISMR) was “Advanced, Smart, and Sustainable Polymers, Fibers and Textiles”. Three specific sessions occurred under the denomination of “Smart Fibers and Textiles”. That \nsimple fact gives an idea of the importance of this work. However, \nwhat really are smart textiles? In the foreword of the book edited by \nTao, X. [1], Lewis states clearly that these type of textiles are not only \nspecial finished fabrics. The main defining idea of smart textiles is \nrelated to the “active character” of them. Smart textiles “react to environmental stimuli, from mechanical, thermal, chemical, magnetic or \nothers”, including biotechnology, information technology, microelectronics, wearable computers, nanotechnology, and micromechanical \nmachines. \nBiofunctional textiles are fibrous substrates that have been \nmodified to attain new properties and added value. The main idea \nis to modify their parameters, especially related to comfort, adapting the tissues’ reaction to external or internal stimuli. Such textiles \nconstitute appropriate substrates to be used for the delivery of active \nprinciples in cosmetic or pharmaceutical applications. Due to their \nspecific response, biofunctional textiles are especially useful when the \ntextile comes into close contact with the skin. As most of the human \nbody is covered with some sort of textile, the potential of this type \nof textile is considerable. Textiles with functional properties used for \ndelivery to skin have been studied and patented [2,3]. \nThree cases will be explored in this work as examples of biofunctional systems obtained using vehicles to transport different active \nprinciples to a textile substrate: Microcapsules, cyclodextrins, and \nliposomes.
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2951772302