All fabrics can be characterized as either natural or synthetic fibers (or a blend of the two). Both types have pros and cons; natural fibers come from plants and animals, while synthetic fibers are made from chemical compounds, and each is valued in the textile industry for different reasons.

What are synthetic fabrics? Synthetic fibres (man-made fibres) are produced by joining chemical monomers into polymers using a chemical reaction called polymerisation. The chemicals used are usually sodium hydroxide and carbon disulphide (derivatives of coal, oil, or natural gas).

Fibres that are obtained from plants or animals are called natural fibres. Examples are cotton, jute, wool, and silk. Fibres that are made by man from chemical substances are called synthetic fibres. Examples are nylon, rayon, polyester, and acrylic.

Synthetic fibers are more in length and are long lasting. The three most common synthetic fibers used in composites industries are Kevlar (aramid), carbon, and glass fibers, displayed in Fig. 3.2.

Some examples of synthetic fabrics are polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, acetate, spandex, latex and Kevlar. Synthetic fibres are made by the joining of monomers into polymers by the process of polymerization.

Acrylic, the fabric that closely resembles wool fabric is a pure synthetic fabric. It is understandably made as a substitute for wool. You get acrylic wool yarn which can be knitted into fabric or you can buy acrylic clothing at a fraction of the price of wool, but just as warm and soft.

Synthetic textiles are made from either inorganic products or a mixture of organic ones and chemicals. Some are found to be profoundly strong and durable, while some dry much quicker than others, or may be more absorbent and easy to dye. The most common natural fibers in clothing are silk, wool, cotton, and linen.

PBO was first developed in the 1980’s and is the world’s strongest man-made fiber. It is also the first organic fiber whose cross-sectional strength outperforms both steel and carbon fiber. Zylon® PBO is a rigid-rod isotropic crystal polymer that is spun by a dry-jet wet spinning process.

silk

Natural fibers come from many sources. Common natural fibers sourced from the plant kingdom include cotton, flax, hemp, bamboo, sisal, and jute. Their main component is cellulose. From animals, we get popular fibers like wool, silk, angora, and mohair.

Most people know that cotton is a natural fiber and polyester is a man-made, synthetic fiber.

Which is the first man made Fibre? Regenerated fibers such as viscose rayon in 1892 and cellulose acetate in 1918 were the first man made to produce fibres.

The most common are polyester, polyamide (often called nylon), acrylic and modacrylic, polypropylene, the segmented polyurethanes which are elastic fibres known as elastanes (or spandex in the USA), and speciality high-tenacity fibres such as the high performance aramids and UHMwPE (Ultra High Molecular weight …