Flame-resistant and anti-electrostatic knitted and woven fabrics manufactured by using new finishing applications

Nowadays, functional fibers and textiles represent one of the basic trends of sustainability and competitiveness of the textile sector under the European and global world market conditions. The paper presents the innovative R&D results of the European countries consortia cooperation in the frame of Eureka's E! 3191 MULFUNC international project: "Multifunctional Woven and Knitted Materials for Future High Performance Barrier Work Clothing". The research and tests focused on the (multi)functionalization of the knitted sublayers, aiming at achieving high added value knitted products with barrier protective effects, by combining their construction with special final processing treatments: anti-electrostatic and non-flammable decorative upholstery materials; the antibacterial treatment of bio-functionalized PES knitted fabrics; antitick and insect-repellent finishing of knitted fabrics. Evidence is provided that multifunctional textile based systems have great potential in the manufacturing of finished products.