Textile Surface Engineering

Robert Mather became involved with textiles when he joined the staff at The Scottish College of Textiles (SCOT) in Galashiels in 1983 (SCOT was subsequently subsumed into Heriot-Watt University, based in Edinburgh). There he acquired an interest in technical textiles. He has established profiles in the processing of polypropylene fibres, the gas plasma treatments of textiles and the integration of photovoltaic (solar) cells on textiles.He is the author of more than 90 technical papers and over the past 20 years has contributed chapters to ten edited books on textiles. He co-authored a book on textile chemistry for the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2011. Second and third editions were published in 2015 and 2024, respectively. He has also co-authored a book on photovoltaic textiles, published in 2023.His professional memberships include Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, CChem, and Fellow of the Textile Institute, CTex.

• Part 1: Surface Modification Methods 1. Introduction to Surface Modification Techniques 2. Plasma Treatments 3. Laser Treatments 4. Vapour Deposition Methods 5. Enhancing Surface Electrical Conductivity 6. Treatments with Nanoparticles 7. Use of Sol-Gel Technique 8. Enzyme Treatments 9. Grafting Onto Textile Fibre Surfaces 10. Emerging Surface Modification Approaches Part 2: Applications of Surface Modified Textiles 11. Introduction to Applications of Surface Modified Textiles 12. Functional Properties: Antibacterial, Water Repellency, Flame Retardancy, etc. 13. Biomedical Applications of Surface Modified Textiles 14. Outdoor and Recreational Uses 15. Textiles in Fire Services 16. Textiles in Military 17. Industrial Utilisation of Surface Modified Textiles 18. Textiles in Sports and Performance Enhancement 19. Textiles in Communications and Technology 20. Textiles in Civil Engineering and Infrastructure 21. Fibre Surface Modifications for Aesthetic Purposes 22. Additional Chapter on Surface Modifications for Smart Textiles Part 3: Future Trends and Conclusions