Functional and Comfort Properties of Textiles from TENCEL® Fibres Resulting from the Fibres' Water-Absorbing Nanostructure: A Review

The comfort in wear of textiles has been studied extensively on the level of textile construction. The influence of the fibre material is present in the experience of textile consumers, but objective assessment is rather difficult. Some recent works are reviewed here. TENCEL® is a man‐made cellulosic fibre of the generic fibre type lyocell. The background of the special comfort in wear of textiles made from TENCEL® fibres is explained as a consequence of the fibres' water‐absorbing nanostructure. The basis for these properties are found in the high absorption of water and water vapour, which leads to high heat capacity and heat balancing effect for thermoregulation, comparable with the action of phase change materials. The thermal wear properties resulting are the cool and dry touch, the active cooling effect in sports wear, and the warming properties when used as an insulation layer. These effects are to a certain extent adaptive to the environment, providing comfort in a wide range of climatic conditions. Moreover, neutral electric properties, retarded bacterial growth and good skin sensory perception add to the overall skin friendly properties, which were also shown in wear studies with patients suffering from skin diseases.