Phototex: Development of microstructured TEXtiles for stimuli-dynamic PHOTOnic filters (PHOTOTEX)

The design and implementation of this new textile with adjustable radiation properties requires an approach that combines knowledge and know-how in diverse areas. Therefore, a multidisciplinary consortium should be formed with the participation of multiple teams on both sides of the border.
In Wallonia, the partners involved introduce their competences concerning the materials that constitute the building blocks of the end products: the self-structuring of the membranes, the design of the charged polymers, synthesis of polymers with shape memory to enable the thermal control in function of the environmental conditions .
The Flemish partner enriches the consortium through an original approach for the structuring of membranes based on electro fibers. From the French side, the Hauts de France region offers an extensive R & D platform on textile processes. Here some special research structures are collected to bring the processes of self-induced structuring (elastic instability, migration of the load in the biphasic mixtures or electrical fibers) into line with the spinning process used on an industrial scale.
In the context of cross-border initiatives, the teams with theoreticians will direct this work through their predictive calculations on the radiation performance of the intended solutions. Generally, the structuring effects in a previously limited spectral domain have an optical effect that corresponds to the scale size of the motifs. In PHOTOTEX several approaches will be investigated in parallel and elaborated in order to achieve a structuring on a fiber scale to a structuring on membrane scale. These approaches will eventually be combined to propose efficient solutions over a wide spectral infrared range. The realization of the project will result in an increase in the competencies of the partners involved in these domains.
In addition, the INTERREG program offers the possibility to finance the promotion of innovations to the regional companies that will be able to integrate these innovations in their production process. To this end, the Hauts de France and Belgium regions form the ideal breeding ground with a strong development potential in the field of technical textiles (270 companies are involved). The participation of CETI and UPTEX in the project will further facilitate this initiative.