Automotive textiles - fashion, well-being and future perspectives

The importance of well-being and its consideration in applications of modern textile designs, be they for apparel, the home environment or industrial designs such as in automotives, are of great value from the research point of view. Nowadays, car interiors have become more important for the well-being of people, as they spend more time in the car than in the past. Currently, entire car interiors are made up from various textile materials. Micro-organisms can grow onto textile substrates (Unchin 2003) and for car interiors, malodours and microbial growth are of great concern. Techniques have been developed to resolve these issues by enhancing the functional properties of textiles during finishing processes by imparting properties such as fragrance finishing (Buchbauer 1994 & Holme 2007), anti-microbial finishing (Gao & Cranston 2008) and cosmeto-textiles for skin care (Fisher 2007). There is an increasing trend toward these finishes as they provide consumers with textile products for well-being and to cater for fashion perspectives. Until now anti-microbial/anti-odour finishes have been predominantly of a chemical nature. Chitosan, a natural biopolymer, has applications in medical textiles, skin care, weight loss and numerous other products. This paper will report on studies that highlight the possibilities for the utilisation of chitosan to incorporate fragrance and anti-microbial properties into automotive textiles to enhance the well ness of vehicle users.