Tangled knowledge: mapping research hotspots and emerging frontiers in textile technology through bibliometric analysis
Source abstract
Abstract
Abstract The progress of textile technology continually drives the development of the textile product market, making the clarification of its research trajectory a key priority in the field. This paper aims to map the research status, core themes, and future trends of textile technology during 2005–2025, and specifically to elucidate the profound reasons for the field’s recent research growth entering a plateau after a period of high output. The study adopts the bibliometric method, using 1,365 papers retrieved from the Web of Science database as a sample, and employs CiteSpace for a systematic analysis of keywords, authors, institutions, and disciplines. The results show that the field has formed a well-established research cluster centered on materials science and engineering, with representative institutions including Lodz University of Technology and Donghua University. Research topics are highly concentrated on nanotechnology and surface modification, dedicated to enhancing fabric functionality, such as strengthening mechanical properties and increasing antibacterial capacity. At the same time, emerging themes such as smart textiles and silver nanoparticles have concentratedly emerged since 2023, reflecting a transformation demand towards intelligence and functionalization. Crucially, evidence at the institutional and disciplinary levels indicates that cooperation and knowledge integration between cutting-edge knowledge streams such as artificial intelligence, biology, and ecology and the aforementioned mainstream materials science cluster are significantly insufficient. The structural divide between the mainstream and the cutting-edge is the fundamental reason for the field’s stagnation following a period of rapid growth. Future research emphasis should shift from incremental optimization within material science to breaking disciplinary boundaries and fostering deep interdisciplinary integration.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Textile materials and evaluations · Dyeing and Modifying Textile Fibers · Silk-based biomaterials and applications
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
School of Economics and Management , 66311 Shandong Youth University of Political Science , Jinan , China
School of Business , 12538 Nankai University , Tianjin , China
Department of Finance, College of Finance , Nanjing Agricultural University , Nanjing , China
School of Economics and Management , 12392 China University of Mining and Technology , Xuzhou , China
School of Economics and Management , 66291 North University of China , Taiyuan , China
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