O o d h e a d p u b L i s h I n g L i m I t e d

13.5
Opportunities for the use of wool in
intelligent textiles
It should be apparent from the above that wool, while not yet widely exploited
in intelligent textile systems, is not fundamentally unsuited to them. There
are many intelligent textile technologies where fibre type is irrelevant, and
the textile is merely the substrate on which the intelligent system is constructed.
So far wool has earned its place in intelligent garments because of its traditional
properties, its fundamental comfort, drape and appearance, rather than through
any ‘smart’ characteristics imparted by the work of researchers.
There are some potential drawbacks to wool’s use in intelligent textile
systems. For some applications, textiles need to be easily coated, and laminated
to layers of other materials. Wool textiles tend to have relatively irregular
surfaces, while smooth surfaces for the application of other technologies are
easier to achieve with synthetic continuous filament-based substrates. Also
a requirement in a multi-component smart textile system is lightness of
weight. Wool is limited in the fineness of its fibres and in the minimum
number of fibres required to form a yarn, and thus in the lightness of fabrics
that can be produced from it. These are just minor drawbacks, so perhaps the
only real disadvantage for wool in high-performance applications is the fact
that functional components cannot be easily incorporated into the fibre during
production as can be done with extruded synthetics. The control over the
synthetic fibre’s physical shape and polymer composition is undoubtedly an
advantage. With wool we must start with the chemical and physical properties
that nature has provided, at least until biotechnology changes this state of
affairs.
Holcombe and Wallace (2002) point out that opportunities for wool in
intelligent textiles exist where a new technology takes advantage of its unique
characteristics. Its major strength is its rich chemical functionality, primarily
relating to its constituent proteins, which provide amine, carboxylic, amide,
hydroxyl and thiol/disulphide functionality. Synthetic fibres are either mono-
functional or aliphatic, limiting the extent to which they can be chemically
modified. The development of intelligent applications may involve applying
chemical modifications to the fibres and the range of opportunities provided
by wool is unparalleled in the textile fibre arena. It should also be noted that
the intracellular spaces within the fibres present opportunities for hosting a
range of molecules giving smart functionality.