A design-driven creation of an innovative and environment-friendly nature-based yarn with moisture wicking and fast-drying effect

Wicking in textiles is a key property of fabric moisture permeability, which has been found to be dominant in the comfort-maintaining mechanism of apparel products, especially for sportswear that has high requirements for sweat transfer. Various methods have been given in order to improve moisture transfer behavior of fabrics, among which fiber modification is the most direct and ideal way. In this article, a design-driven yarn structure spinning model for moisture wicking improvement is established by using a helically shaped covering material to limit the inter-fiber spacings of the staple core yarn so that an improvement in effective capillary channels with better continuity can be achieved. The developed yarn constructions combine the advantages of natural and synthetic fibers, showing significant improvements on moisture wicking performance, fast-drying effects as well as commercial values. Experiments on the fabrics made in accordance achieved excellent results both before and after washing. For the most efficient fabric 5 with cotton-linen as the core material, the average diffusion time was decreased by 86.4% and 66.5% before and after washing, compared with the core yarn. Excessively large water absorption rates of the control fabrics were limited and decreased by 22.1% and 32.4%. The evaporation rates of the fabric were increased by 25.6% and 18.5%, indicating obvious improvements in fast drying effects. Through various experiments, the optimal spinning parameters were investigated which provided methods and established foundations for subsequent research. The finding in this study offer the possibility of fiber moisture performance modification with high efficiency, low cost, and environmental sustainability.