The present disclosure relates to antimicrobial garments and antimicrobial fabric products that include an antimicrobial fabric, wherein the antimicrobial fabric includes at least one synthetic silver fiber and at least one silver-free fiber, and methods of manufacturing the same. One benefit of the antimicrobial garments and antimicrobial fabric products disclosed herein can be the reduction or elimination of odor or infection causing microbes, including a bacteria, a fungi, and a virus, even after multiple washes.

It is disclosed a woven textile fabric comprising a first and a second electrically conductive layer (20; 30) of interwoven conductive yarns (22, 24; 32, 34) and a first intermediate pseudo-layer (40) of structural and insulating yarns (45) comprised between the first and the second electrically conductive layer and a plurality of binding yarns (47) interlacing the first and second conductive layers (20; 30) and the intermediate layer (40). The structural yarns (45) and the binding yarns (47) have piezoelectric properties.

An item may include fabric or other materials formed from intertwined strands of material. The item may include circuitry that produces signals. The strands of material may include non-conductive strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may carry the signals produced by the circuitry. Each conductive strand may have a strand core, a conductive coating on the strand core, and an insulating layer on the conductive coating. The strand cores may be strands formed from polymer. The conductive coating may be formed from metal. Electrical connections may be made between intertwined conductive strands by selectively removing portions of the outer insulating layer to expose the conductive cores of overlapping conductive strands. A conductive material such as solder or conductive epoxy may be applied to the exposed portions of the conductive cores to electrically and mechanically connect the overlapping conductive strands.

The invention relates to a fabric. The fabric (10) comprises, in the fabric material, threads (11a1,12a1;13a1,14a1) of a material conducting electricity well, by means of which electro-magnetic radiation and magnetic fields are filtered. The threads (11a1,12a1;13a1,14a1) are placed next to each other. Furthermore, the threads are wound around their winding axes (X1,X2;Y1,Y2) so that the first thread (11a1, 13a1) in the fabric is wound clockwise, and the second thread (12a1, 14a1) next to it is wound counterclockwise.

A flexible electric heater integrated in a fabric has a surface extending substantially in a two-dimensional plane and including at least one heating strip approximately parallel to the fill threads, electrically connected to strips of electrically conducting wires arranged approximately parallel to the warp threads, next to different portions of the fabric. The at least one heating strip includes a plurality of electrically heating fill threads intertwined with the fabric and each strip of electric conducting wires includes a plurality of electrically conducting warp threads intertwined with the fabric, the plurality of electrically heating weft threads being intertwined with the plurality of electrically conducting warp threads. A process is described of making a flexible electric heater integrated in a fabric.

An item may include fabric or other materials formed from intertwined strands of material. The item may include circuitry that produces signals. The strands of material may include non-conductive strands and conductive strands. The conductive strands may carry the signals produced by the circuitry. Each conductive strand may have a strand core, a conductive coating on the strand core, and an insulating layer on the conductive coating. The strand cores may be strands formed from polymer. The conductive coating may be formed from metal. Electrical connections may be made between intertwined conductive strands by selectively removing portions of the outer insulating layer to expose the conductive cores of overlapping conductive strands. A conductive material such as solder or conductive epoxy may be applied to the exposed portions of the conductive cores to electrically and mechanically connect the overlapping conductive strands.

A thermoelectric flexible mat may include a first large surface and a second large surface. The mat may also include a plurality of p-doped elements and a plurality of n-doped elements disposed in an alternating manner with one another and electrically interconnected to a series circuit via a plurality of electrically conductive conductor bridges. The plurality of conductor bridges of the series circuit may be assigned, at least in regions, to the first large surface and the second large surface such that the first large surface defines a hot side and the second large surface defines a cold side. An absorptive absorption structure may connect the hot side and the cold side. The absorption structure may be structured and arranged such that any liquid present on the cold side is absorbable into the absorption structure and transportable to the hot side via the absorption structure.

Systems and methods which provide nickel-zinc textile batteries formed from highly conductive yarn-based components which are configured to facilitate textile material processing, such as weaving, knitting, etc., are described. Embodiments of a conductive yarn-based nickel-zinc textile battery may be constructed using scalably produced highly conductive yarns, such as stainless steel yarns, coated or covered with zinc (anodes) and nickel (cathode) materials, wherein the foregoing yarn anode and cathode components may be coated with an electrolyte to form yarn-based battery assemblies. A conductive yarn-based nickel-zinc textile battery may be constructed by weaving or knitting such yarn-based battery assemblies into a textile material, such as using industrial weaving or knitting machines, hand weaving or knitting processes, etc.

Shape memory yarns described herein include twisted microfilaments made from a shape memory alloy that may provide superelastic or shape memory properties. The shape memory yarns are formed into coils that provide a high degree of actuation or elasticity along an axis of the coiled shape memory yarn, and may have relatively low porosity, low rigidity, and/or low change of volume compared to shape memory coils formed from solid structures. Coiled shape memory yarns may provide further tailorability of a superelastic or shape memory response of a system or device incorporating the coiled shape memory yarns through various coil parameters, such as coil pitch or density, or torque balancing, such as heat treating or plying the coiled shape memory yarns.

Shape memory yarns described herein include twisted microfilaments made from a shape memory alloy that may provide superelastic or shape memory properties. The shape memory yarns are formed into coils that provide a high degree of actuation or elasticity along an axis of the coiled shape memory yarn, and may have relatively low porosity, low rigidity, and/or low change of volume compared to shape memory coils formed from solid structures. Coiled shape memory yarns may provide further tailorability of a superelastic or shape memory response of a system or device incorporating the coiled shape memory yarns through various coil parameters, such as coil pitch or density, or torque balancing, such as heat treating or plying the coiled shape memory yarns.