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Fibers
Special Issues
Smart Textiles—2nd Edition
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Smart Textiles—2nd Edition

A special issue of Fibers (ISSN 2079-6439).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 May 2026 | Viewed by 1592

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jinlian Hu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: smart polymers; shape memory fibers; textiles; apparel; composites; digital evaluation; testing devices; textile engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Smart textiles can be defined as those that can sense and react to environmental conditions or stimuli. Smart textiles can also be called interactive textiles, which is probably more of a reference to wearable electronics. Research into smart textiles can be divided into three basic categories: materials, structures, and systems. Materials, particularly polymers with special functions, such as those involving phase change, memory, conductivity, or optical and chromic phenomena, are the starting points. The structures of textiles can have a significant role in achieving designated functions. Finally, systems normally concern electronic components.

Smart textiles have their foundations in different research disciplines: textile design and technology, physics, chemistry, materials science and engineering, electronics, computer science, and wearable technology. The progress of sciences and technologies necessitates interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration between basic research and innovative applications. This Special Issue, titled “Smart Textiles—2nd Edition”, calls for papers regarding the scientific study of any fibers, fiber materials, fibrous structures, and applications of smart textiles. The aim is to provide an overview concerning state-of-art materials, concepts, models, and fabrications, so as to develop smart textiles through fibers.

The bulk of the knowledge accumulated in the past fifteen years has been the work of trailblazing researchers in smart textiles. It is my great pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, feature articles, and reviews are all welcome.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Prof. Dr. Jinlian Hu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fibers is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart textiles
  • high-tech textiles
  • textile design and technology
  • fiber materials
  • fibrous structures
  • applications of smart textiles
  • multi-function
  • stimuli-responsive fibers

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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16 pages, 2236 KB  
Article
Development of Low-Resistance Conductive Threads from E-Waste for Smart Textiles
by Aman Ul Azam Khan, Nazmunnahar Nazmunnahar, Mehedi Hasan Roni, Aurghya Kumar Saha, Zarin Tasnim Bristy, Abdul Baqui and Abdul Md Mazid
Fibers 2026, 14(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/fib14030036 - 12 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1034
Abstract
Conductive thread is an integral aspect of smart textiles in the domain of electronic textiles (e-textiles). This study unveils the development of twelve distinct variants of conductive threads using the twisting method: the fusion of copper filament with cotton and polyester threads. The [...] Read more.
Conductive thread is an integral aspect of smart textiles in the domain of electronic textiles (e-textiles). This study unveils the development of twelve distinct variants of conductive threads using the twisting method: the fusion of copper filament with cotton and polyester threads. The threads are coated with a carbon paste solution enriched with dissolved sea salt. The carbon paste is obtained from non-functional dry cell batteries, conventionally categorized as hazardous electronic waste (e-waste), which underscores an economically viable and environmentally sustainable approach. Experiments proved that each variant demonstrates minimal electrical resistance. The lowest resistance, 0.0164 ± 0.0001 Ω/cm, was achieved by Carbon-Coated Cotton Twisted Copper Thread-II. Comparative evaluation with commercially available conductive threads, including Bekaert Bekinox® VN type (12/1x275/100z), indicated comparable or moderately lower resistance values for the developed copper-based threads. Mechanical–electrical stability under bending, twisting, and wash–dry cycles confirmed consistent conductive performance with minimal resistance variation. Practical demonstrations further validated the integration of the threads into fabric-based flexible circuits and wearable electronic systems. These findings demonstrate that twisted copper-based conductive threads derived from sustainable coating materials provide a promising alternative for smart textile and wearable electronic applications. Future research should focus on scalable fabrication, enhanced coating fixation, and long-term durability assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Textiles—2nd Edition)
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