From the Sector

Two GRAPHERGIA research teams received poster awards at Graphene Week 2026 for work on energy harvesting, sensing and storage. One project uses graphene-based triboelectric nanogenerators in aerospace composite structures to convert mechanical movement into electrical signals for real-time monitoring.

The second development is directly textile-based. Researchers at FORTH/ICE-HT use a laser-assisted process to convert graphene-oxide-coated polyester textiles into conductive architectures.
Continuous conductive tracks serve as current collectors or electrodes for triboelectric nanogenerators, while laser-patterned interdigitated structures form micro-flexible supercapacitor electrodes.

The objective is to couple energy generation and storage in one self-charging textile platform that can support IoT integration. The work therefore moves beyond attaching electronics to fabric: the textile itself becomes part of the electrical architecture.
The project is funded under Horizon Europe and brings together partners including Adamant Composites and FORTH/ICE-HT.

The University of Washington's Wearable Intelligence Lab is advancing textile structures as tactile sensing systems for healthcare, robotics and human-computer interaction. A new university profile of Yiyue Luo shows how digital fabrication, conductive yarns, sensing and AI are being combined.

One example is MultiSensKnit, a sensor-packed knitted sleeve designed for rehabilitation assessment. Other projects range from smart gloves for tactile capture and robot learning to machine-knitted magnetoactive textiles that provide sensing and haptic feedback.

The textile form factor is functional rather than decorative: knits can cover large body areas, conform to movement and capture physical information in situations where cameras or conventional rigid electronics are limited. Luo uses digital knitting machines to integrate conductive yarns and functional structures reproducibly into fabrics.

The work also illustrates a broader transition in smart textiles from isolated demonstrators towards integrated systems in which material, textile construction, electronics and data processing are developed together.

Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have developed a route in which lignin replaces a substantial share of the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) normally used in carbon fibre. Lignin is generated in large volumes as a by-product of pulp and biorefinery operations. The university reports that PAN use can be cut by half, with corresponding potential reductions in production cost and emissions.

The central technical challenge is mechanical performance. The team functionalises single-walled carbon nanotubes and incorporates them into the lignin-PAN matrix. The nanotubes act as nanoscale reinforcement and promote stronger crystalline alignment during spinning and thermal treatment.

The precursor solution is wet-spun, tension-assisted heat-treated and carbonised. The researchers report that the resulting renewable carbon fibre can reach quality requirements relevant to automotive manufacturing. Aerospace, energy infrastructure, sporting goods and wind energy are cited as additional markets.

Ravel has closed an oversubscribed $8.2 million seed round led by One Small Planet, with participation from AP Ventures, Overlay Capital, Lichen Ventures and existing investors. The funding is intended to move the Seattle-based recycling company from pilot operation towards commercial readiness.

Its Purification Recycling process is aimed at one of apparel recycling's persistent problems: stretch blends. Elastane is widely used in activewear, denim, underwear and other garments, yet even relatively small percentages can interfere with established recycling routes.

Rather than treating the whole textile as a single feedstock, Ravel is developing a separation and purification route for polyester/elastane blends. The company says recovered material can be converted into recycled plastic pellets for renewed use as a raw material.

The next phase will test more than chemistry. Commercial viability depends on throughput, feedstock variability, separation efficiency, energy and chemical inputs, and the quality of the recovered fractions. Ravel plans to validate the process at production scale with textile partners.

The financing adds capacity at a point where recyclers are increasingly trying to tackle blends that mechanical systems cannot readily return to fibre.

Freudenberg Performance Materials and Foshan United Medical Technologies (UMT) will make their first joint appearance at the WUWHS congress in Kuala Lumpur since Freudenberg acquired the Chinese wound-care specialist at the end of July. The combined platform stretches from fibre and nonwoven technologies to finished advanced wound-care solutions.

UMT’s primary dressings include alginate, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and chitosan technologies. Alginate variants include silver-containing options for antimicrobial protection, while CMC is used for moisture management and gel formation. Chitosan brings haemostatic and bacteriostatic properties. UMT is also presenting a non-invasive wound-closure system.

Freudenberg complements these primary-care products with Tacnera®, its patented silicone-coated foam-dressing technology. A dual-silicone construction combines secure edge adhesion with a gentler wound-contact layer, while a wave-pattern coating is designed to improve flexibility and exudate management. The wider industrial story is vertical integration: UMT’s capabilities run from fibre production and functionalisation through nonwovens, packaging, sterilisation and regulatory approval.