Fields of application

The objectives of the project are the development of conductive carbon black (carbon) and copper (copper) based formulations, which enable the generation of electrically conductive, dissipative and sensory structures on textile substrates and represent a significantly more cost-effective alternative to silver-based systems. In addition, the focus is on the development of single-layer and multilayer structures, taking into account textile-ink interaction and film formation between copper and carbon black layers.

The demand for permanent water-, dirt- and oil-repellent properties of functional textiles is achieved according to the current state of the art by application with fluorinated polymers (FP) or per- or polyfluorinated low molecular weight chemicals (PFC).

The beneficial properties achieved with FP on textiles are offset by ecological and human ecological risks. Currently, leading manufacturers of textile auxiliaries are engaged in the development of high-performance fluorine-free products. Unfortunately, studies show that these products do not meet the requirements in the area of oil repellency compared to fluorocarbon finishing. With the development of fluorine-free surface modifiers, the project aims at a sustainable finishing of textiles without limiting their functional properties. Ultrahydrophobic, oil-repellent and soil-repellent textile finishes are to be synthesised and applied according to a novel concept. The developments are aimed at small or medium-sized companies in the field of technical textiles, HOMETECH, PORTTECH, MEDTECH, PROTECH, MOBILTECH. With the use of functional finishes, these companies are to expand their business using their core competences.