Textiles are ubiquitous materials that many of us take for granted in our everyday lives. We rely on our clothes to protect us from the environment, for modesty, to enhance our appearance and reflect our personality. Beyond these traditional applications, high-performance fibres have been specifically developed for more demanding roles in protective garments, industrial work-wear, car tyres, parachutes and artificial arteries. This is the only book to describe the chemistry of textile fibres at a level appropriate for 'A' level students and first-year undergraduates following courses in textile science and technology. Readers with a background in chemistry and an interest in the principles of functional fibre development will also find it to be of value. The book explains the characteristics required for polymers to be fibre-forming, the general physical properties needed from textile fibres, and the chemistry of important natural and synthetic fibres. The book also deals with the essential chemistry of "high-performance" fibres that possess functionalities beyond those of materials traditionally used for apparel. Later chapters describe methods of fibre enhancement and fibre blending.

Ever wondered why a particular type of fibre is used for a certain application? Readers of this book will gain an appreciation of the answer to this question and more through understanding the chemistry behind the properties of the fibres. Providing a comprehensive overview of the various types of textile fibres that are available today, ranging from natural fibres to high-performance fibres that are very technologically advanced, the book is a revised and updated new edition of a highly successful text. Textiles are ubiquitous materials that many of us take for granted in our everyday lives. We rely on our clothes to protect us from the environment and use them to enhance our appearance. Textiles also find applications in transport, healthcare, construction and many other industries. The third edition of The Chemistry of Textile Fibres updates a significant amount of the information provided in the previous editions, such as the synthesis from renewable resources of monomers for producing synthetic fibres, emerging applications of nanofibres, production of electrically conducting fibres incorporating graphene and carbon nanotubes, and nano-finishing of textiles. It also gives greater emphasis to those aspects of textile chemistry that combat adverse environmental impact, including the chemical decomposition of synthetic polymers and strategies to reduce the damaging impact of microfibers. It introduces the production of micro- and nanomaterials from cellulose as an alternative to relatively toxic and non-ecofriendly micro- and nanomaterials produced from other sources, together with the bio-functionalisation of textiles. Students following A level courses or equivalent and first-year undergraduate students reading textile technology subjects at university will find this book a valuable source of information.