Development of advanced textile materials: Natural fibre composites, anti-microbial, and flame-retardant fabrics

The current trend in textiles is to move away from traditional uses and seek for increased complexity and ‘intelligence’ in terms of applications, so as to include them in the group of advanced materials, along with metal, ceramics, and polymers. Intensive research is in progress, following a multi-directed scheme where two key sectors can be distinguished: textiles structures and functionality. Representative examples of these two approaches are herein discussed regarding their applications, potentials, and challenges. Namely, the cases of natural-fibre-reinforced composites, and of anti-microbial and flame-retardant textiles are concisely described, highlighting the major issues.