Surface structuring of textile fibers using roll embossing

Patterning textile fibers using thermoplastic molding opens the way for new applications of surface nanostructures. A simple roll embossing setup was developed, where a flexible metal stamp with a pattern on the surface is mounted onto a metal cylinder. By careful adjustment of process parameters, periodic gratings with details of sub-μm dimensions were transferred onto polyester fibers 180 μm in diameter.