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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2012
Reflective fibres were obtained in a two step process. First a core polyamide 6 fibre was spun from the melt and successively stretched. Then a chiral nematic liquid crystal coating was applied onto the surface of this fibre and further cured under UV light. The liquid crystal alignment was controlled by the molecular orientation of the polymer fibre and the 10 μm thick mono-domain coating presented a periodic helical organisation with a pitch of 350 nm. The obtained fibre showed strong Bragg reflection giving an intense green colour changing upon viewing angle. The fibre has been integrated into a fabric suggesting its application for textile design, fashion, and apparel.