Innovative system for incorporating essential oils into textile fibers

The NEO4Future project aims to create innovative solutions to fabrics and knits production with cosmetic properties, appearing as a solution with high added value for the textile and clothing industry.

The consortium consisting of 3 companies - FITEXAR, BLOSSOM ESSENCE and SMART INOVATION - and 2 entities of the R&D System - University of Beira Interior (UBI) and the Center for Nanotechnology and Technical, Functional and Intelligent Materials (CeNTI) aims to develop new formulations of essential oils, their encapsulation in biocompatible (nano)porous structures that protect the essential oils in the phase of incorporation in textile filaments and, finally, create functional textiles with these threads. The fabrics and knits are thus enriched with these oils, which will be released for a long time during their use, contributing to the improvement of the end user's quality of life.

The NEO4Future project is co-financed by COMPETE 2020 under the Incentive Systems for Research and Technological Development, involving an eligible investment of EUR 936 thousand, which resulted in an ERDF incentive of 674 thousand EUR.