Development of Textile Products with Enhanced Moisture Management and Comfort Using Poly(lactic acid) Fibers

This project aims to develop high value-added PLA textile products with enhanced moisture absorbing and fast drying property using hierarchical structural design from fiber, yarn to fabric for application in school student uniforms. The capillary wicking effect and moisture transferring property of PLA filament will be improved by using irregular fiber cross-section. The moisture absorbency of PLA yarns will be increased by blending PLA fiber with hydrophilic fiber using specially designed Marl and Sheath-core yarn structures. The PLA fabrics will be designed with multilayered knitted structures to enhance their moisture-absorbing and fast-drying property and comfort. Finally, PLA garments (school student uniforms) will be designed and fabricated using the enhanced PLA fabrics. This study could promote the application of PLA material in the textile area.