Shape Memory Polymer Fibers for Textile Applications

Shape Memory Polymers (SMPs) are functional materials that can switch between a programmed and a permanent shape when stimulated by a specific external trigger, such as temperature change. A combination of crystallization and chemical cross-linking enables specific SMPs to undergo reversible melt-induced contraction upon heating and crystallization-induced elongation upon cooling.

These polymers have significant potential for a variety of textile applications. By using conventional textile processes, such as melt spinning to produce fires, new opportunities arise to integrate responsive behavior into textile structures. The scalability of the process creates the opportunity to mass-produce goods containing shape-memory polymers for sustainable, individual consumer applications in the future. However, their development is complex, and their properties must be tailored to their respective applications.

This presentation addresses the potential applications and new opportunities enabled by the use of shape memory fibers in 4D textiles, as well as the challenges in their development. An overview of the state of the art and current results, focusing on pilot-scale production leading to functional demonstrators, will be used to analyze potential applications in technical textiles, sportswear and apparel.