Efforts are progressing to establish cotton as a high-tech fiber, including development of a three-layer, cotton-based decontamination wipe.

Efforts are progressing to establish cotton as a high-tech fiber and to find advanced applications such as cotton-based decontamination wipes and inner liners for chemical and biological warfare protective suits.

The first year’s research at Texas Tech University included development of lightweight needlepunched cotton nonwovens. Results showed that available “state-of-the-art” H1 needlepunching nonwoven technology is capable of developing lightweight cotton nonwovens from coarser cottons. If successful, U.S. upland cotton not only can contribute to our homeland security and national defense but realize enhanced consumption. A longer-term objective is to enable the U.S. cotton industry to be the global leader in high-tech nonwoven cotton research.