General Trends of Innovation in the Technical Textiles Sector nents and the emission or absorption of electromagnetic radiation. The reactive components contained in plasma (ions, neutrons and free radi- cals) are formed from processes of ion- ization, fragmentation and / or excita- tion produced, due to collisions of elec- trons accelerated by the field electri- cal with other components present in the plasma. During the plasma state, a wide vari- ety of dissociation and recombination reactions occurs, even for simple chemical compounds. In the recent literature, it is often still attributed to plasma treatment the con- dition of alternative to traditional prep- aration processes; the reality is that technology of plasma treatment is an emerging option with possibilities al- ready consolidated such as the achievement of liquid repellent effects, the improvement of the fixation of the dye molecules or the adhesion of coat- ings and laminates, among others. This technology still requires remark- able research effort; for this reason the costs for its implementation are high. Research lines in functionalization treatments: plasma Functionalization treatments (embryonic technologies): Plasma Main lines of research: Anti-aging of wool. Treatment prior to dyeing (improvement of dye absorption). Plasma induced grafts (creation of surface active centers that bind covalently to chemical compounds applied later to confer different properties (antimicrobial, hydrophilic/hydrophobic, etc.). Plasma is a novel dry processing tech- nique and provides a solution to reduce the use of chemicals, water and ener- gy. It is an environmentally and work- er-friendly method to achieve surfaceImage: semi-industrial prototype of direct barrier discharge plasma (Source: Plasma technology for textiles. Surdu, Lilioara et al.) alteration without modifying the bulk properties of textile substrate. Plasma technology is replacing numerous con- ventional wet-chemical methods in lab- oratories and industries, with a huge positive impact in: •renewable energy; •environmental protection; •biomedical applications; •functionalization of textiles; •microelectronics, and other fields. Research lines in functionalization treatments: nanotechnology The term nanofiber is used to define fibers with diameters less than 0.5 microns, which are made through elec- trospinning processes. These nanofi- bers have a large surface area per unit mass and a very small pore size, and this means that their main applications can include, among others, filtration, protective clothing, nanocomposites or drug release mechanisms. Conventional methods used to give different properties in textiles do not entail permanent effects, but these are lost as a result of washing or use pro- cesses. In addition, the conventional finishing processes can increase the rigidity and modify the breathability of the textile materials. In contrast, nan- otechnology entails a high durability for textiles as well as nanoparticles have a high affinity for textile fibres due to NCM-OCTOBER 2021 49the fact that they have a high area / volume ratio and high surface energy. In addition, nanoscale coatings on tex- tiles do not affect the properties asso- ciated with user comfort such as va- por permeability and touch. These ad- vantages raise a growing interest in the textile sector for the potential commer- cial applications of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology can be applied in any of the phases of the textile-clothing chain, from the extrusion process of a polymer to which nanoparticles can be added, through the spinning process by electrospinning and in the finishing process, where it is normally applied most nanotechnology, through plasma, grafting, coatings etc. Currently, the most general applica- tions of nanotechnology are those that involve the use of nano or microparti- cles (larger size, 2 to 5 µm) for encap- sulation active substances and confer to various tissues properties: antibac- terial, cosmetic, etc. Nanofibre web (Source: Leitat)