A fiber composition, along with a method for toughening fiber compositions, are described. A fiber composition contains at least three loops along the length of said fiber, wherein the loops are bonded using sacrificial junctions comprising a bonding material that is chemically distinct from the fiber material. In some preferred embodiments, the loops have a circumference of at least one centimeter, and the bonding material is an ultraviolet light-cured adhesive. When a suitable force is applied, one or more sacrificial junctions can break without breaking the continuous fiber. The fiber compositions described herein have a toughness that is many times greater than the toughness of otherwise equivalent compositions of the fiber material which lack any such loops.

A yarn or thread may include a plurality of substantially aligned filaments, with at least ninety-five percent of a material of the filaments being a thermoplastic polymer material. Various woven textiles and knitted textiles may be formed from the yarn or thread. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be thermal bonded to other elements to form seams. A strand that is at least partially formed from a thermoplastic polymer material may extend through the seam, and the strand may be thermal bonded at the seam. The woven textiles or knitted textiles may be shaped or molded, incorporated into products, and recycled to form other products.

In one aspect, parachute buffer materials are described herein. In some embodiments, parachute buffer materials described herein comprise a fabric formed from a plurality of fibers and a coating disposed on at least one outer surface of the fabric. The fibers have an inner component formed from a thermoplastic material and an outer component formed from a non-thermoplastic material. In some cases, the fabric is a woven fabric. Additionally, the coating can comprise or contain a silicone along with, or without, other functional components. Moreover, materials described herein can be used to form various structures for parachute buffering applications, and the coatings of materials described herein can enhance the materials' buffering performance.