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

13.3
Wool’s intrinsic ‘smartness’
It could be argued that wool is inherently ‘smart’ in its behaviour regardless
of modifications to it, or the structures it is put into. As has been discussed
in other chapters of this book, wool is a remarkably complex fibre (a
comprehensive review of wool’s performance attributes in technical
applications was also provided by Johnson et al., 2003). It is worth considering
why wool has become so complex, and the functions it can perform in the
context of intelligent textiles. It has evolved over millions of years to provide
comfort and protection for a warm-blooded organism that lives in a wide
© 2009 Woodhead Publishing Limited

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Intelligent wool apparel
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range of climates from the heat and dryness of the Mediterranean to the cold
and damp of Northern Europe. It has a unique structure with a hydrophilic
interior and hydrophobic surface, meaning that it can allow the passage of
water vapour while repelling liquid water. It also has the ability to release
substantial amounts of heat when it becomes wet – a useful thermoregulation
capability in damp, cold environments. All this suggests that it may not be
unreasonable to consider wool an inherently smart material. Capabilities
such as thermoregulation and selective porosity are typical of smart textile
functionalities.
Another concept in intelligent textile development is the field of biomimetics.
This term refers to the technique of imitating natural systems in the development
of new technologies. With wool, biomimetics is somewhat irrelevant as the
fibre is already a complex biological material produced in the skin of the
sheep.