R&D

The advent of globalisation has urged the European textile industries to implement new technologies to maintain the cost-effectiveness of the sector. One such development is the application of of thin silane finishes on textiles, a development that has been introduced during the last decade. The extraordinary properties of these (functionalised) finishes include a.o. enhanced abrasion resistance and omniphobicity.

<img src="/files/project-file/PLACEit_logo-new_201006_small.png" width="200" height="95" alt="PLACEit_logo-new_201006_small.png" class="left" />Imagine a lamp that is not fixed to the ceiling, but that can be designed into any shape, or even blend into the surroundings. This would give a tremendous design freedom. Think of curtains that emit light to mimic the natural, daytime situation, children with illuminating jackets to safely bike home from school, or even bandages that shine light on the body to treat skin diseases or for infrared massage.

The aim of the Bacteriosafe consortium is to construct, test and develop a unique active wound dressing, which incorporates novel colourimetric sensor and active therapeutic processes for detecting and counteracting pathogenic bacteria in wounds.

The research project’s aim is twofold: on the one hand, the acquisition of further knowledge is needed to apply the exceptional properties of CNTs in the best way; on the other hand, there is a growing need of highly and durably conductive textiles that are easy to process.
The applications of CNTs within the scope of this project are mainly situated in the field of conductivity. The level of conductivity depends on the application method (extrusion, coating, textile finishing) and the desired end product.

<h2>Assembly of an artificial ovary combining isolated human ovarian follicles, fibrin and a textile pocket</h2>
The objective of this project is the development of a 3D biodegradable matrix allowing the graft of autologous ovarian tissue or isolated follicles in patients with impaired fertility following a gonadotoxic treatment. This biofunctional fibrin-based matrix will limit the follicular loss due to post-transplant ischemic stress and will help to induce the formation of an extracellular ovarian-like matrix by promoting cell migration, cell proliferation and vascularization.

The objective of the FAFEX project is to integrate the finishing step in an earlier process phase, and more in particular during the yarn extrusion phase by applying an aqueous polymer solution onto the filament's surface during melt spinning.

In the CleanCloth project, we propose to develop a superior cleaning cloth with constant and continuous antibacterial effect, ensuring that no bacteria is left in the cloth and making bacterial re-growth impossible, without need for special and time-consuming hygiene procedures. This will be accomplished by a unique technology with antibacterial agent integrated into the microfiber of the cloth. The advances in this technology will allow significant reduction of cross-contamination and bacterial regrowth. Infectious diseases arising in the home setting are a significant concern.

The main objective of Safe@Sea is to develop a new generation of advanced personal protective clothing for the fishing industry that will lead to a significant increase in safety without reducing work performance.

CILAB (Composite Innovation LABoratory) is a 4 years project dedicated to innovation in the field of composite materials and structures including research, development and improvement of manufacturing processes (eg. liquid resin infusion, vacuum assisted processes, hybrid composites - continuous fibres and short fibres - with thermoplastic matrices, braided structures, ...), materials (eg. bio-composites), non destructive inspection techniques (eg.

In order that the market can grow to the profit of the local industry, good (and therefore reproducible) standards are needed to evaluate medical textiles, and more in particular textiles used in operating theatres subject to European regulations. Textiles used in operation theatres are considered as medical devices and must therefore meet certain requirements (EN 13795) in the framework of CE labelling.