New Fibers

New Fibers - Tatsuya Hongu

We have taken this opportunity to revise the original and to add new information about developments since 1990. . . . Since 1990 there have been considerable changes in the nature of the fibers being produced, the production methods and in consumers values and expectations. . . . Since 1990, the march of high-tech fibers has continued with an ever-increasing sub-division to meet the specialised applications, as in high-performance, high-function and high-sense fibers. New research and development has produced fibers with high tenacity and modulus to give the super-fibers now used as industrial materials. . . . [n]ew . . . ultrafine fibers can emulate the functionality and ambience of biological fibers. The synthetic cellulosics have made a particular resurgence since 1990, and the various solvent-spun fibers . . . are now making a great impact on the market. They now offer the processability of synthetics along with the in-built advantages of natural cotton. We hope . . . that the approach of the 1st edition is now extended to illustrate the dynamism of this frontier industry, pointing the way forward into the next century.