Fibres and Textiles science and technology | Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials

The Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials is a global leader in fibres and textiles research, working on next generation fibre and textile material innovations and driving circularity across industry.

Backed by world-class characterisation and industrial-scale facilities, our Fibres and Textiles research group has a multidisciplinary team of textile engineers, fibre technologists, material scientists, physicists, chemists, biologists and polymer scientists. Together the team helps industry unlock new markets and applications, value addition to textile waste, understand impact of textile materials on environment, and cut costs through efficiency gains.

A history of innovation

The Fibres and Textiles research group is an integral part of Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials. Established in the early 2000s as the Centre for Material and Fibre Innovation (CMFI), the group laid the groundwork for several major initiatives, most notably the development of Carbon Nexus, University’s flagship carbon fibre research facility.

This carbon fibre research facility, which incorporates pilot-scale fibre manufacturing capabilities, is unique within a university setting. It created the blueprint for a research and development ecosystem that enables the translation of research from the laboratory to industry.

The research group went on to receive significant national recognition with the awarding of Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Research Hub grants in 2015 and again in 2021 to work collaboratively with many industry partners.

Next-generation sustainable fibres

Meet Associate Professor Rangam Rajkhowa – a leading researcher in fibres and textiles research at Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials.

Our research capabilities

Our Fibres and Textiles researchers have the capabilities to:

Improve the sustainability of fibres and textiles by:
- Innovations using natural fibres
- Developing processes that are carbon neutral or capture carbon
- Understanding the environmental impacts of fibre processing, uses and end of life
- Assessing compostability of existing or new fibre types
Construct novel melt- and wet- spun filaments, conductive fibres and textiles, nanofibres and short polymer fibres, membranes, as well as scaffolds for medical and safety applications
Design and develop textile treatments and recycled and biobased colourations to design new materials and processes to add value to textiles
Combine polymer science and textile engineering to improve circularity and environmental footprint of textile production processes.
Add value to textile waste by repurposing and recycling including advanced fibre regeneration, blend separation and use of agricultural waste in fibre products.

What makes us different

Our interdisciplinary team has a wide array of knowledge and expertise in materials science and fibre and textile processing and engineering across the entire value chain from lab to label.

The team is equipped with both conventional and cutting-edge technologies (such as Artificial Intelligence and machine learning) to rapidly predict and optimise extremely complex and multi-faceted systems.

As part of Deakin University, the team has the unique capability to work with other schools and institutes such as Engineering, Intelligence Systems, Artificial intelligence, Sports Science, Medicaland Environmental Science to deal with interdisciplinary research using fibres.

Our Infrastructure

This unique combination of science and textile processing capabilities is complemented by state-of-the-art characterisation, testing, prototyping and scale up facilities through the Future Fibres Facility all on the one site.

Our infrastructure capability, in partnership with Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF), at Deakin Waurn Ponds campus integrates equipment across the entire textile supply chain for short staple spinning system, knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing.

Other equipment includes wet spinning, melt spinning, and nonwoven processing.

Motorcycle Safety Gear Testing

The Australasian Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Facility (AMCAF), at the Deakin Institute for Frontier Materials, is Australasia’s only university facility capable of independently assessing the protection and comfort levels of motorcycle riding gear.

The facility performs commercial and independent tests for the motorcycle clothing and footwear manufacturers, suppliers, applicators and end users in Australia and overseas. The facility is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA).

Re-designing sustainable textiles towards a circular economy

For decades, our Fibres and Textiles Research group has researched and developed sustainable solutions for the textile industry across the supply chain – from pathways for adding value to the repurposing of textile waste.

The group can:

Develop sustainability and circularity in the textile and fibre sector.
Develop extraordinary functionality in fibres for novel applications.
Develop novel ways to repurpose and recycle textile waste.

Simba Global + Deakin

In a first for Australia, Simba Global partnered with Deakin University researchers to address a critical global issue – the spread of harmful microplastics due to textile laundering.