Application of Biomimicry in Textiles

Textiles & Humans

• Prehistoric humans used tree-leaves, bark, feathers, animal hides for protection or aesthetic appeal.

A Long History

• 20,000 years ago, humans were twisting fibers to create thread
• Oldest string is 15,000 years old
• Egyptians made linen fabric 5,000 years ago
• Earliest fibers used in textiles were linen, hemp, nettle, willow, and wool

Fiber Spinning

• 34,000 species of spiders, most are capable of spinning silk
• Araneid and Uloborid
• Toughness more than 3x industrial fiber used to make bullet-proof vests

Nylon "66"

• Made in 1931by chemist, Wallace Carothers
• Mimics the silkworm method of production
• Heat + High Pressure + small orifice
• Spinning continuous fiber by a liquid crystalline protein passed through a spinneret

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Weaving

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Shark skin effect

• Lower frictional drag against the water
• Protects it against biofouling
• Covered with minute placoid scales (dermal denticles)

Shark skin

"Sharklet"

Hook and Loop

Velcro

The Lotus Effect

• Rose petals, duck feathers, butterfly wings

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Lotus effect mimicry

• Umbrellas, carpets, rainwear, upholstery, self-cleaning garments
• First studied in 1964 using glass beads coated in paraffin

Camouflage

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Types of Natural Camouflage

• Crypsis (blending in with background)
• Disruptive coloration
• Self-decoration
• Changing skin pattern and color
• Mimesis

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