#Textile chemistry

2021-12-09

Teijin Frontier’s new breathable material adapts to perspiration

Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., the Teijin Group's fibers and products converting company, announced today that it has developed a highly comfortable knitted fabric that responds to perspiration by changing its structure three-dimensionally, thereby increasing breathability and eliminating the feeling of stuffiness.

Teijin Frontier will market its new self-adjusting fabric as a core product for year-round sports and outdoor use beginning in fiscal 2023. Wide ranging of applications will include casual and functional apparel and uniforms as well as various materials. The company expects to target sales of 250 thousand meters in fiscal 2024.

Sample product made with new self-adjusting knitted fabric © 2021 Teijin

Teijin Frontier’s new self-adjusting fabric has a solid knitted fabric structure that changes shape in three directions in response to perspiration thanks to its specially textured, side-by-side (S/S) composite yarn made from two types of polymers, each with different hygroscopicity. The yarn’s structure also includes a coiled crimp.

Adaptive changes in crimps and stitch opening/closing

Adaptive changes due to perspiration

Technical properties of new adaptive fabric

Features of new adaptive fabric

In 2009, Teijin Frontier began offering a S/S composite yarn made with polymers of varying hygroscopicity and fabric in which the stitches open and close in response to perspiration. However, since the fabric’s stitches open wide in the presence of perspiration, causing clothing sizes to change significantly, it was necessary to limit stitch opening to a practical level for commercial applications.