TEXTILES
Beat
Directa Plus to supply G+ textiles to
Alfredo Grassi
resistant clothing, all manufactured
using fabric from Mount Vernon FR.
SPORTS TEXTILES
DiveR introduces fins reinforced by
TeXtreme technology
Pic courtesy: Directa Plus
Directa Plus, a producer and supplier
of graphene-based products for use in
consumer and industrial markets, has
signed its first contract to supply high
performance technical textiles with
Graphene Plus (G+) to Alfredo Grassi,
a leading manufacturer of customised
protective clothing, workwear and
uniforms for private and public
organisations globally.
This follows the company signing a
Joint Development Agreement (JDA)
with Alfredo Grassi to assess the
potential benefits that can be delivered
by incorporating Directa Plus’ graphene
into their extensive range of workwear
products. Under this JDA, the company
has been working closely with Alfredo
Grassi to produce an initial range of
workwear clothing that Alfredo Grassi
presented to tender for a contract with
a national company.
Mount Vernon FR expanding to
more regions
Pic courtesy: Mount Vernon FR
Mount Vernon FR is expanding global
footprint for its flame resistant fabrics.
In addition to the US and Canada,
Mount Vernon FR fabric will now be
available in Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, and Central and South
America. The company’s expansion will
open distribution channels for Mount
Vernon FR fabrics in these regions,
helping meet growing demand.
This announcement comes on the
heels of Mount Vernon FR’s newest
collaboration with Matrix World Group
(MWG) Chile, which recently launched
its first-ever collection of treated flame
116 | FIBRE 2 FASHION NOVEMBER 2017
DiveR, an Australian producer of a top
line freediving fins, has introduced fins
reinforced by TeXtreme technology. The
new fin transfers the load progressively
from the heel to the toe while remaining
soft yet responsive.
– had enhanced mechanical properties
of up to three times the strength
and ten times the toughness of the
unmodified silks.
This study opens up new potentials
for tailoring the properties of biological
materials to enhance their properties
for use in novel applications. For
example, these artificially modified silks
could find use in high-performance
or biodegradable textiles such as
parachutes or medical dressings.
Massachusetts university team
makes electrically heated cloth
Pic courtesy: DiveR
By using TeXtreme Innegra hybrid
fabric, DiveR was able to maximise
the weight savings with the thin ply
advantages of TeXtreme technology and
combine it with the hydrophobic and
ductile properties of Innegra to achieve
the most advanced fin ever produced.
Materials scientists led by Trisha
Andrew at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst have
developed a new technique to create
electrically heated cloth. They have
made gloves with this technique that
keep fingers as warm as the palm of
the hand. The technology will help
commuters, skiers, crossing guards
and others who endure frozen fingers in
cold weather.
RESEARCH
Graphene Flagship scientists make
spider’s silk tough
Natural spider silk has excellent
mechanical properties. Researchers
from the Graphene Flagship have
increased the strength of spider’s
silk using graphene-based materials.
This paves the way for a novel class of
high-performance bionic composites.
The work is published in 2D Materials
and was a collaboration between the
University of Trento, Italy, and the
Cambridge Graphene Centre, within
the Graphene Flagship’s Polymer
Composites Work Package.
The silk – produced naturally by the
spiders, incorporating graphene and
carbon nanotubes (rolled up graphene
sheets) introduced in their environment
Pic courtesy: F Tomasinelli/Graphene Flagship
Pic courtesy: UMassAmherst
In a new paper in Applied Materials &
Interfaces, the scientists describe how
they use a vapour deposition method for
nano-coating fabric to create sewable,
weavable, electrically heated material.
The demonstration glove they made
can keep fingers toasty for up to eight
hours. The three-layered glove, with one
layer coated by the conducting polymer
poly(3,4- ethylene