Preface

Textiles have been an integral part of human life for centuries. They were initially thought to be used for coverage, storage, protection, ropes, fishing, and more. A textile material and its structures offer many unique characteristics such as flexibility, drape, breathability, and strength, which are otherwise not easily achieved in other engineering materials and structures. Further, their surfaces can be functionalized to achieve new properties such as super-hydrophobicity, shape memory, phase change, anti-microbial characteristics, and so on. Today, their applications have widened in multiple areas including medical, civil, defense, energy, transport, and protection industries due to the development of smart materials and their fibers, processing methods, and innovative technologies. This book emphasizes textile science, engineering, technology, and the design processes involved in developing textile products for medicine, sports, protection, and filtration. The content of this book is divided into four sections. The first and Introduction section is followed by the second which discusses the material and technology used for fabricating different types of functional textiles. The third section focuses on other characterization techniques and analysis of various results published in the scientific literature. The final section describes the different application areas where functional textiles have been utilized to enhance the efficiency of processes.

Following the Introductory chapter, Chapter 2 discusses the enhancement of healthcare textiles using different antimicrobial agents. It examines different types of antimicrobial agents such as metallic, non-metallic, and non-leaching agents, along with their application methodologies. Chapter 3 provides a critical review of different types of intelligent functionality imparted to textiles such as stimuliresponsive textiles, phase-change material, enzymes used for functionalization, and more. Chapter 4 discusses the use of silk in functional textiles, as silk fiber shows excellent mechanical properties that are beneficial in functional textiles. Chapters 5 and 6 describe the application techniques to transfer various materials and treatments over a textile fabric and the compatibility of these materials and textiles. Chapters 7 and 8 cover the standard methodology for testing and assessing the properties of functional textiles. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have become an essential healthcare product, thus it is necessary to examine the functional aspects of these masks. Chapter 9 critically reviews different face masks, their manufacturing techniques, and testing parameters. Chapter 10 discusses the application of antimicrobial agents on various textile surfaces, as every type of fiber has different compatibility with the various antimicrobial agents. The chapter examines the advantages and disadvantages of using different materials as substrates for antimicrobial applications. Functional textiles are a significant contribution to activewear. As such, Chapter 11 discusses different types of material, fabric, and fabric structures used to design activewear clothing. It presents various studies on the material used for activewear clothing and the effect of different parameters on permeability properties such as water vapor permeability, air permeability, and moisture management. Chapter 12 discusses textiles used for noise control and noise barriers for acoustic management. It covers the mechanisms and textile materials used for sound absorption while Chapter 13 discusses concepts employed in sportswear and sports textile industry.

I would like to acknowledge the contributing authors for their valuable time and efforts in writing their chapters. I would also like to thank Viraj Somkuwar (Ph.D. scholar, IIT Delhi) for helping with the review of multiple chapters and helping with the final editing of the book.

> **Bipin Kumar** Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Department of Textile and Fiber Engineering, New Delhi, India

Section 1 Introduction

## **Chapter 1**
