Серпімді талшық: Спандекс, Ликра және оның қолданылуы

Synthetic fibre known for its elasticity

Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont.

The name spandex, which is an anagram of the word "expands", is the preferred name in North America. In continental Europe, it is referred to by variants of elastane. It is primarily known as Lycra in the UK, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Latin America, Australia, and New Zealand. Brand names for spandex include Lycra (made by The Lycra Company, previously a division of DuPont Textiles and Interiors), Elaspan (The Lycra Company), Acepora (Taekwang Group), Creora (Hyosung), INVIYA (Indorama Corporation), ROICA and Dorlastan (Asahi Kasei), Linel (Fillattice), and ESPA (Toyobo).

The exceptional elasticity of spandex fibers increases the clothing's pressure comfort, enhancing the ease of body movements. Pressure comfort is the response towards clothing by the human body's pressure receptors (mechanoreceptors present in skin sensory cells). The sensation response is affected mainly by the stretch, snug, loose, heavy, lightweight, soft, and stiff structure of the material. The elasticity and strength (stretching up to five times its length) of spandex has been incorporated into a wide range of garments, especially in skin tight garments. A benefit of spandex is its significant strength and elasticity and its ability to return to the original shape after stretching and faster drying than ordinary fabrics. For clothing, spandex is usually mixed with cotton or polyester, and accounts for a small percentage of the final fabric, which therefore retains most of the look and feel of the other fibers. An estimated 80% of clothing sold in the United States contained spandex in 2010.

The easy condensation of diols and diisocyanates was recognized in the 1930s as the result of work by Otto Bayer. At this time, women began to emerge as a significant group of consumers because of their need for underwear and hosiery. DuPont launched an extensive publicity campaign for its Lycra brand, taking advertisements and full page ads in top women's magazines. By the mid 1970s, with the emergence of the women's liberation movement, girdle sales began to drop as they came to be associated with anti independence and emblematic of an era that was quickly passing away. The fiber came to be especially popular in mid thigh length shorts worn by cyclists. Spandex proved such a popular fiber in the garment industry that, by 1987, DuPont had trouble meeting worldwide demand. In the 1990s a variety of other items made with spandex proved popular, including a successful line of body shaping foundation garments sold under the trade name Bodyslimmers. As the decade progressed, shirts, pants, dresses, and even shoes were being made with spandex blends, and mass market retailers like Banana Republic were even using it for menswear.

Most clothes containing spandex are difficult to recycle. Even a 5% inclusion of spandex will render the fabric incompatible with most mechanical recycling machines.