1 Introduction
China has entered the stage of high-quality economic development. At present, the textile industry is in a key period of transformation from the old growth mode to the new growth mode, and from large to strong development. Facing the increasingly severe challenges of resources and environment, the challenges of the world’s new industrial revolution and new scientific and technological revolution, and the construction of strategic emerging industries [1– 3], the textile industry maintains the trend of sustainable development, from leading the total scale to leading in scale, quality, efficiency, and scientific and technological level, to ensure the high-quality development, transformation, and upgrading of China’s textile industry, which is related to the stability and prosperity of the country’s economy and society. Textile materials with industrial textiles as the main body are the foundation and key to the development of China’s textile industry.
Textile materials have a large output and wide range of applications, and they belong to basic materials. With the continuous improvement of market demand, the proportion, technical indexes, and international competitiveness of advanced basic materials in the field of textile materials in China are constantly improving
[4]. Meanwhile, although China has made remarkable achievements in advanced base materials for industrial textiles, it faces equally important problems [5–6]. The homogeneity of general fiber materials is prominent, and the functionalization, high performance, greening, and high quality of products are in urgent need of improvement. In-depth research is lacking on the application technology of new textile materials with high performance and function, and relevant standards and technical specifications need to be established and improved. Industrialization results of new materials with significant innovation and disruptive technology are lacking. The integrated innovation ability is weak, the combination with the industrial chain is not tight, and sophistication and informatization of equipment is not high.
On the basis of the connotation of advanced basic materials for textile structure, this paper analyzes nonwoven materials, textile structure materials, and textile composites, and presents current key material varieties, research status, and problems. This article mainly discusses the key tasks and technologies for the future development of advanced basic materials for industrial textiles in China, and it offers planning suggestions for strengthening industrial development to provide a theoretical reference for the material technology progress of the textile industry in China.
2 Research background of advanced base materials for industrial textile
2.1 Basic characteristics
Advanced basic materials in the textile field usually have the following characteristics: (1) excellent physical and mechanical properties and quality of the material, such as strength, modulus, uniformity, and performance stability; (2) physical and mechanical properties that meet application requirements, along with the endowment of new functions through physical and chemical means, such as molecular modification and functional powder addition modification to provide the material with flame retardant or antibacterial functions; (3) environment friendliness of the whole lifecycle, such as biological fibers whose raw materials from natural renewable resources or recycled resources, polylactic acid fibers with controllable degradation, and polyester fiber with low-temperature dyeing; and (4) the ability of digitalization, flexibility, and intelligence of the manufacturing process to improve the differential/functional manufacturing efficiency and product quality of textile materials, and the reduced energy consumption and material consumption in the production process. For example, three-dimensional structural materials based on automatic weaving technology have good material properties and quality uniformity.
With the development of the industry, many key strategic materials and frontier new materials developed in the textile field have gradually become new advanced basic materials.
2.2 Macro situation
The textile industry is the pillar industry of China’s national economy and is an important industry for people’s livelihood and the industry with international competitive advantage. The advanced base materials of a textile structure take chemical fiber and industrial textile as the main body, and serve as the foundation and key of the development of the textile industry in China. The total amount of fiber processing for all kinds of advanced basic materials of textile structure in China is 5.43 ×107 t, of which the output of chemical fiber is more than 4.7 ×107 , accounting for more than 70% of the world’s chemical fiber output. Textiles used in new energy, aerospace, medical and health, environmental protection, and other industries account for 26.9% of China’s fiber processing [7,8].
With the development of social economy, resource depletion and environmental problems become increasingly prominent practical contradictions. This situation prompted the textile industry to identify textile fiber materials as important basic and engineering materials, which the country also included in the development plan of emerging industries. In the aspect of advanced basic materials of textile structure, China should strive to produce a number of original innovation achievements with independent intellectual property rights, which constitute the mechanism of high-efficiency transformation of scientific and technological achievements, and form innovation ability to support the lasting development of the industry
[9]. Other objectives include promoting the proportion of high-end products in key areas of our country and ensuring that the environment friendliness and intelligentization of textile materials ranks high internationally, thereby leading the stable and healthy development of the textile industry [10–12] to meet the requirements of a prosperous society and strategic emerging industries, and fulfill other major needs.
2.3 Main categories
On the basis of the key technology of material manufacturing, considering the factors of material production and industry status, this paper focuses on three types of advanced base materials for industrial textiles: nonwoven fiber materials, textile structural materials, and textile composites (Table 1).
Table 1. Main categories of advanced industrial textile structure materials.
3 Development status of advanced base materials for industrial textiles in China and abroad
3.1 International development status
3.1.1 Nonwoven fiber materials
From 2012 to 2017, the North American nonwovens industry experienced strong growth (the average annual growth rate exceeded 3.7%), and the average annual growth rate from 2018 to 2022 is expected to remain at 3.6%
[8].
In the aspect of three-dimensional inflatable flexible membrane structure material, the domestic research and development level is low, thereby being unable to produce three-dimensional large spacing fabric efficiently. Developing special production equipment with high speed and intelligence for super thickness spaced fabric is crucial.
In the field of mesh structure flexible composites, domestic high-end hernia patch (hernia repair) is still imported to some extent. The price and actual effect of domestic hernia patch are good, and the number of clinical patch production enterprises is increasing gradually. Although the domestic patch can meet the basic clinical application, the innovation of the product is not enough; it is made of imported substrate, and a gap still exists with the international first-class level.
4 Problems faced by advanced base materials for industrial textile in China
4.1 Common problems in the industry
The protection of intellectual property rights in the industry of advanced base materials for industrial textile needs to be strengthened so that enterprises can enjoy the market benefits brought by intellectual property rights for a certain period of time and encourage them to innovate. However, crucial contradictions still exist between low illegal costs and high rights protection costs in the industry. Such issues are still difficult to solve in a short period of time
[18].
The dilemma of technological innovation is critical. More enterprises value economies of scale while ignoring the breakthroughs of high-tech products. As a result of the decline in profits, investing the necessary resources for the development of high-end products is difficult, the development capacity of new products is weak, and high-tech products cannot meet the market demand.
Compared with the development speed of the industry, the basic research capability of the industry is weak and the quality of professional and management personnel training is poor, thereby restricting the healthy development of the industry and the progress of science and technology.
Industrial textiles are extensively used in a wide range of fields, and similar products have different technical requirements in different application fields, but the industry lacks the overall design of the standard system
[19]. As a result, the relevant standards of industrial textiles have not been unified, and convergence and coordination between the existing standards are insufficient.
4.2 Problems in technology and product
Nonwoven fiber materials are facing the monopoly of foreign advanced technology. Driven by macroeconomic policies and a strong domestic demand market, the nonwoven filtration industry in China has made considerable progress in the past 10 years, but because it has been limited by the late start of the industry, insufficient attention has been paid to the technical research and development of filter materials, related raw materials, gradients molding, membrane compounding, detection, and simulation theory. The industry and its products are far from the advanced level of foreign countries, and many high-performance filter materials rely on imports due to the industry’s inability to produce them [17,19]. In terms of the standard system and evaluation system, the problem of inconsistency in the technical indicators and testing method standards of related products is significant, resulting in poor connection between product standards and final product application standards and the lack of effective regulatory oversight of product quality. At the product level, the technology of domestic enterprises is single and the phenomenon of product homogeneity is evident. With microfiber leather taken as an example, domestic companies basically adopt the indefinite island technology (introduced by Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. from Japan Kuraray Co., Ltd.), and the similarity of production processes will inevitably lead to product homogeneity.
In terms of textile structural materials, the domestic carbon fiber industry has developed rapidly in recent years, but the production equipment and technology are not advanced enough and the single-line production capacity is low. Therefore, the production cost of domestic products is generally higher than that of imported products. The domestic precursor and carbon fiber have low varieties and specifications, and poor uniformity and stability. A large gap exists between domestic products and imported products in terms of overall performance. The development of domestic carbon fiber application technology lags behind, carbon fiber production enterprises are out of touch with downstream applications, and the downstream market needs to be cultivated and expanded urgently. Breakthroughs in the three-dimensional weaving equipment for high-performance special fibers are still needed. Few large-scale three-dimensional weaving machines for large-scale commercial production are available. Domestic threedimensional fabric machinery has a low degree of automation. Complex and special-shaped three-dimensional fabrics are still woven with artificial assistance. A single type of stab-resistant fabric exists, and the development path lacks innovation, still being dominated by traditional methods such as coating, laminated composite, and wire/ring addition. The geotechnical material industry faces the problem of repeated construction. The production enterprises are small and scattered and cannot reach the economic scale. Research on the composite function of materials is lacking, and old technologies and materials are mostly used.
In textile composites, domestic raw materials, technology, equipment, and other aspects are inadequate. Compared with the developed countries, China has gaps in the development and preparation technology of special raw materials, industrial concentration, product types and grades, and technological innovation. High-end textile fiber special raw materials mainly rely on imports, raw materials engineering, industrialization capacity is weak, being unable to meet the needs of high-quality industrial development
[20]. Basic research on textile flexible materials is also weak. Braiding theory and performance characterization of aramid, polyimide aramid, polyimide and Vectran lack systemability, and the theory and application mechanism of reinforced structure design of textile flexible composite materials also have difficulty supporting industrial development because of incomplete theory. Research on interface theory, multiple composite, and interface control theory of textile flexible composites is deficient, the technology of coating process control and industrialization stability is lagging behind, and the evaluation system and standard of flexible materials have not been established and perfected. These weaknesses make the existing domestic materials unable to meet the comprehensive requirements of complex application service and various environments. In addition, a gap exists between the processing equipment and technology of textile flexible composites in automation, intelligence and information technology, and the international advanced level.
5 Key development directions of advanced base materials for industrial textiles in China
5.1 Main directions of technical research
5.1.1 Nonwoven fiber materials
We should focus on strengthening the basic theoretical research of nonwoven composite and forming; we also need to strengthen the research on key common technologies such as product structure and function design, interface processing, functional finishing, product application evaluation, and functional testing
[17]. Active efforts must be made to promote the development and promotion of new nanoscale nonwovens, two-component composite nonwovens, wet-laid nonwovens, such as meltblown, electrostatic spinning, melt blending phase separation, and flash spinning, to improve coating, impregnation, and composite to speed up the development and application of textile-based flexible composite materials.
Intelligent nonwoven production lines with functions such as online monitoring, automatic feedback processing of process problems, full-process intelligent management, and visual operation should be developed. Product application databases and analysis models in filtration, geotechnical, structural enhancement and other fields need to be established. Product design and manufacturing processes must be optimized; product quality, safety, and service life should be improved; and the requirements of different application conditions must be met
[17].
The research and development and application of high efficiency, low resistance, long-life, coordinated treatment of harmful substances must also be promoted. High-temperature filter media and economically feasible waste filter media recovery technology need to be functionalized, bag-type dust energy-saving application technology should be developed, and the scope of application must be expanded
[17]. The development and application of nonwoven filter materials for air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and automobile filters should be accelerated. Moreover, the application of geotextile materials with characteristics such as multifunctional suction and drainage, flame retardant and highstrength, intelligent anti-freeze and anti-thaw, high-strength anti-aging, and ecological restoration needs to be promoted.
5.1.2 Textile structure materials
In terms of textile processing equipment manufacturing technology, focus should be directed toward key technologies and equipment such as three-dimensional knitting, weaving, and multiaxial knitting, and special industrial fiber weaving technology and equipment must be developed. Breakthroughs in key technologies need to be made for the preparation of flexible materials for textile structures, and applications in aerospace, construction, and transportation should be expanded.
In terms of the preparation technology of braided materials for safety protection, research on the protection mechanism, the design of protective clothing system, and the evaluation of protection performance should be prioritized to break through the industrialization technology of soft bulletproof and stab-resistant protective textiles and their equipment. The development and application of related products, such as soft bulletproof and stab-resistant equipment, textile-based anti-terrorism and anti-riot equipment, high-temperature protection and rescue equipment, biochemical protection equipment, and family fire-fighting equipment, must be accelerated. A series of textiles, intelligent fire-fighting equipment, emergency rope and net materials, and other products needs to be developed to deal with major epidemic situations.
In terms of the preparation technology of smart textile structure materials, focus should be given to the research and development of wearable device structure materials and flexible conductive textile structure materials, integrated microelectronics, and textile technology. Textiles can also be imbued with intelligent monitoring and other functions, and the production scale of high value-added smart textiles should be expanded.
In terms of preparation technology of medical textile structural materials, the localization of implantable biomedical textile structural materials should be realized, and medical textiles with independent intellectual property rights and brands, especially high-end medical textiles, must be developed. On the basis of current small-scale tests, breakthroughs in key technologies must be made, pilot-scale demonstration production lines should be established, and industrialization must be achieved.
5.1.3 Textile composites
In improving the molding technology of composite materials, we should focus on numerical control technology, apply mechanization, automation, and intelligence technology to preform molding, and realize the integration of composite design/manufacturing. Theoretical research on fabric structure design, new structure mechanics, and geometry should be strengthened. The combination innovation of traditional molding technology should be conducted, and the appearance contour and mechanical properties of products in three-dimensional space must be optimized.
In the aspect of optimizing the production process of composite materials, we should master the technical principle of liquid composite molding technology, improve the molding process of composites, and break through the technology of hot-pressing predetermined type and high-precision mixed injection. To strengthen the research on main bearing structure composites, we should master the technology of high pressure-resin transfer molding, compression-resin transfer molding, and thermoplastic-resin transfer molding, and realize the engineering application in automobile bodies, aircraft shells, and large ships.
In improving composite material production equipment, a highly integrated process automation production line can be established, and integrated equipment design and manufacturing technology must be mastered. Digital intelligent production equipment and testing equipment needs to be developed to achieve composite design/manufacturing integration, which is integral to molding integration ability.
In the aspect of the overall design technology of lightweight and high-strength textile flexible material structure, material innovation design, comprehensive performance analysis, and modification optimization research should be conducted according to different material categories to solve a series of technical problems in the mass industrial production of textile flexible materials. Other important tasks are to study the relationship between materials, structure, and properties; form a perfect design theory and manufacturing process system; develop a complete set of molding dies and equipment; and establish practical test methods and standards for connection processes
[20].
In terms of technology control and stability of wide-width multilayer coating, the key technology of multilayer composite structure and functional hybrid coating can be solved to control the internal and surface defects of coating, and the stability of coating process and process control can be improved to meet the requirements of batch production.
An intelligent complete set of super thickness spacing (more than 300 mm) three-dimensional spacer fabric must be developed along with ultra-thickness special equipment; the latter is developed to break through the technology of intelligent control of super thickness spacing guide bar translation control, intelligent swing control, intelligent real-time dynamic control tension compensation, and intelligent electronic transversal, among others, to meet the constant tension and high-precision control requirements of super-wide spacing feeding, knitting, pulling, and winding.
5.2 Key directions of product development
Comprehensive research and judgment determined that the overall development goal of advanced base materials for industrial textiles in China’s textile industry is to build a rationally laid-out and dynamic industrial technology innovation system, form a batch of original innovation results with independent intellectual property rights, and enhance the industry’s continuous innovation capability. In the key direction of high-end industrial textiles such as nonwoven fiber materials, textile structural materials, and textile composites, we will cultivate internationally competitive backbone enterprises and a group of specialized and excellent enterprises to strengthen the industrial foundation and the industrial chain weaknesses. Thus, the proportion of middle- and high-end products in China will be significantly increased. The green and intelligent level of textile materials can reach the international advanced level, thereby driving the textile industry into the middle and high ends of the value chain.
A catalog of key products of advanced base materials for industrial textiles for 2025 and 2035 is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Key product catalog of advanced base materials for industrial textiles in China.
6 Countermeasure and suggestion
6.1 Strengthen the top-level planning of industrial development
A departmental coordination mechanism needs to be established, and top-level design and overall planning need to be improved. Moreover, the macro-guidance and information guidance for the industrial development of advanced base materials for industrial textiles must be strengthened. Advice needs to be given for industrial policies, industry planning, and major projects, and advantageous resources must be concentrated to promote research, development, engineering, industrialization, and application. A well-structured and stable team of high-level industrial development strategy researchers should be established to track and evaluate the development status and implementation of the plan through continuous, in-depth, and systematic research. The plan should be adjusted in a timely manner and improved continuously to provide reliable guidance for the macro decision-making of relevant industries in China, as well as the business activities of production enterprises, financial investment institutions, and scientific research institutions.
6.2 Strengthen the construction of national scientific and technological innovation support system
High-end scientific and technological resources need to be integrated. Other steps are to optimize the innovation operation mechanism, establish a national textile material innovation center, and strive to fundamentally solve the following problems: the homogeneity and fragmentation of innovation resources are related to the long-term development of the industry and the lack of basic and public welfare research for international competition, the low efficiency of the core industries in major key technology innovation, and the lack of core hubs for the textile industry value chain and value network
[21]. Focus must be directed toward improving the technical level and industrial capabilities of key materials for both military and civilian use, and the layout of key laboratories and engineering technology centers needs to be improved to establish a solid foundation for original innovation. The guiding role of government funds must be maximized, and policies and measures need to be improved. Efforts must be made to attract venture and industrial funds, and innovation in key technological fields must be ensured.
6.3 Build a number of specialized and excellent enterprises
Related enterprises should be encouraged to improve, and enterprise technology and management innovation must be implemented. Specialized high-performing enterprises need to be given support to extend the industrial chain. The strengthening of key basic materials needs to be given attention as well, along with the core basic parts (components), advanced basic technology, and industrial technology foundation for the four industrial bases field. The industrial foundation and industry chain short board need to be strengthened, and the international competitive advantage of the industry must be cultivated. In addition, more benchmarking enterprises need to be built, and a number of “single champion”, “invisible champion”, and “small giant” enterprises should be formed. At the same time, we should pay attention to broadening the channels of international cooperation, combine the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and promote in-depth exchange and extensive cooperation among the talent team, technical capital, standard, patent, and management experience in the new materials industry.
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