Editing Spandex

{{Short description|Synthetic fibre known for its elasticity}}{{Redirect|Lycra|the Lycra company|Shandong Ruyi}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}}

[[File:Cycling kit full body_alt_3_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Elastic material used in the fabrics of a summer [[cycling kit|cycling attire]] comprising a [[cycling jersey|jersey]], [[bib shorts]] and [[cycling gloves|gloves]].]]

'''Spandex''', '''Lycra''', or '''elastane''' is a [[synthetic fiber]] known for its exceptional [[elasticity (physics)|elasticity]]. It is a [[polyether]]-[[polyurea]] [[copolymer]] that was invented in 1958 by chemist [[Joseph Shivers]] at [[DuPont]].<ref name=":5">{{cite book |last=Teegarden |first=David M. |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0qFQ5OuKoy8C&dq=spandex+Shivers&pg=PA149 |title=Polymer Chemistry: Introduction to an Indispensable Science |publisher=NSTA Press |page=149 |isbn=9780873552219}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{cite book |year=2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H17UDAAAQBAJ&dq=spandex+Shivers&pg=PT227 |title=TIME-LIFE American Inventions: Big Ideas That Changed Modern Life |publisher=Time-Life Books |isbn=9781683306313}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{cite book |last=Moskowitz |first=Sanford L. |year=2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2STRDAAAQBAJ&dq=spandex+Shivers&pg=PA75 |title=Advanced Materials Innovation: Managing Global Technology in the 21st Century |publisher=Wiley |isbn=9780470508923}}</ref>
[[File:Spandex fiber.jpg|thumb|Yarn of colourless to white Spandex fibers]]

==Name==
The name ''spandex'', which is an [[anagram]] of the word "expands",<ref>{{cite book |last=Kadolph |first=Sara J. |year=2010 |title=Textiles |publisher=Pearson |isbn=9780135007594}}</ref> is the preferred name in [[North America]]. In [[continental Europe]], it is referred to by variants of ''elastane''.{{efn|Including {{lang|fr|élasthanne}} (France), {{lang|de|Elastan}} (Germany, Sweden), {{lang|es|elastano}} (Spain), {{lang|it|elastam}} (Italy), and {{lang|nl|elastaan}} (Netherlands)}} 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 [[Invista|DuPont Textiles and Interiors]]), '''Elaspan''' (The Lycra Company), '''Acepora''' ([[Taekwang Group]]), '''Creora''' ([[Hyosung]]), '''INVIYA''' ([[Indorama Corporation]]), '''ROICA''' and '''Dorlastan''' ([[Asahi Kasei]]), '''Linel''' (Fillattice),<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.textileworld.com/textile-world/features/2000/03/fillattice-stretches-its-reach-globally/ |title=Fillattice Stretches Its Reach Globally |work=Textile World |date=2000-03-01 |access-date=2021-12-22}}</ref> and '''ESPA''' ([[Toyobo]]).

==Production==
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Unlike many other synthetic fibers, spandex cannot be melt-processed because the polymer degrades upon melting.  Spandex fibers are produced by several [[Spinning_(polymers)|spinning]] technologies.  Typically, a concentrated solution of the polymer is drawn through spinnerets at temperatures where the solvent evaporates.<ref name=UllFib>{{cite book |doi=10.1002/14356007.o10_o02 |chapter=Fibers, 6. Polyurethane Fibers |title=Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry |year=2011 |last1=Wolf |first1=Karl-Heinz |last2=Kausch |first2=Michael |last3=Schröer |first3=Hans |last4=Schweizer |first4=Michael |isbn=978-3527306732 }}</ref>

[[File:Polyurethane.svg|thumb|Chemical route to polyurethane polymer used in production of spandex.|434px]]

Spandex is mainly composed of a polyurea derived from the reaction of a [[diol]] and a [[diisocyanate]].  Two classes of spandex are defined by the "macrodiols".  One class of macrodiols is the [[oligomer]] produced from [[tetrahydrofuran]] (i.e. [[polytetrahydrofuran]]). Another class of diols, the so-called ester diols, are oligomers derived from condensation of [[adipic acid]] and glycols. Spandex produced from the ester diols is more resilient photochemically and to chlorinated water. Almost always, the diisocyanate is [[methylene diphenyl diisocyanate|methylenebis(phenyl isocyanate)]]. The key linking reaction is formation or the urea (aka urethane):
:{{chem2|ROH  +  OCNR'  ->  ROC(O)NHR}}
The polyurea is usually treated with various diamines, which function as [[chain extender]]s.

== Function ==
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 ([[mechanoreceptor]]s 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Song |first=Guowen |title=Improving Comfort in Clothing |publisher=Woodhead Publishing |year=2011 |isbn=9780857090645 |pages=25,235,432}}</ref> 

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 garment|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.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=143003539 |title=Spandex Stretches To Meet U.S. Waistlines |author=Marisa Penaloza |date=2011-12-11 |access-date=2012-01-17 |agency=NPR}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery caption="Stretch material used in various sports" mode="packed" heights="200px">
Athlete.png|A [[road cyclist]] wearing [[compression garment]]s
Hurdler.jpg|A [[United States Air Force Academy]] [[hurdler]] in a uniform
</gallery>

== History ==
The easy condensation of diols and diisocyanates was recognized in the 1930s as the result of work by [[Otto Bayer]].<ref name=UllFib/>  Fibers suitable for replacing nylon were not created from urethanes, but instead this theme led to a family of specialized elastic fabrics.

In the [[post-World War II]] era, [[DuPont Textiles and Interiors|DuPont Textiles Fibers Department]], formed in 1952, became the most profitable division of DuPont, dominating the [[synthetic fiber]] market worldwide.<ref name=":1">{{Citation |last=O'Connor |first=Kaori |title=Producing Fashion |pages=207–228 |year=2008 |chapter=CHAPTER ELEVEN. The Body and the Brand: How Lycra Shaped America |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |doi=10.9783/9780812206050.207 |isbn=9780812206050}}</ref> At this time, women began to emerge as a significant group of consumers because of their need for underwear and [[hosiery]].<ref name=":1" /> After conducting [[market research]] to find out what women wanted from textiles, DuPont began developing fibers to meet such needs—including a better fiber for women's [[Girdle (undergarment)|girdles]], which were commonly made of rubber at the time. 

In the early 1950s chemist [[Joseph Shivers|Joseph C. Shivers]] modified [[Dacron]] polyester, producing an elastic fiber that could withstand high temperatures.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |date=August 1998 |title=Joseph c. Shivers to Receive The Olney Medal |url=http://www.aatcc.org/awards/OlneyShivers.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203014041/http://www.aatcc.org/awards/OlneyShivers.pdf |archive-date=2013-12-03 |access-date=2018-11-26 |publisher=American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists}}</ref> <!--Determined to find a fiber to replace rubber in garments, after nearly a decade of research, Shivers perfected the fiber in 1958 at [[DuPont]]'s Benger Laboratory in [[Waynesboro, Virginia]].<ref name=":0">{{cite patent |country=US |number=3023192 |status=patent |title=Segmented copolyetherester elastomers |gdate=1962-02-27 |fdate=1958-05-29 |inventor=Jr Joseph Clois Shivers |assign1=EI Du Pont de Nemours and Co.}}</ref>--><ref name=":4">{{cite book |last1=Flynn |first1=Elizabeth |last2=Patel |first2=Sarah |year=2016 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3L7CwAAQBAJ&dq=spandex+inventor&pg=PA86 |title=The Really Useful Primary Design and Technology Book: Subject Knowledge and Lesson Ideas |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |page=86 |isbn=9781317402565}}</ref><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" /> 

=== Lycra brand ===
To distinguish its brand of spandex fiber, DuPont chose the [[trade name]] ''Lycra'' (originally called ''Fiber K'').<ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 15, 1999 |title=What's That Stuff? – Spandex |first=Marc |last=Reisch |url=https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7707scitek4.html |journal=Chemical & Engineering News |volume=77 |issue=7 |doi=10.1021/cen-v077n007.p070 |access-date=2018-12-06}}</ref> DuPont launched an extensive publicity campaign for its Lycra brand, taking advertisements and full-page ads in top women's magazines<!-- such as ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'', ''[[Glamour (magazine)|Glamour]]'', ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'', ''[[Mademoiselle (magazine)|Mademoiselle]]'', ''[[McCall's]]'', ''[[Ladies' Home Journal]]'', and ''[[Good Housekeeping]]''-->.<ref name=":1" /> [[Audrey Hepburn]] helped catapult the brand on and off-screen during this time; models and actresses like [[Joan Collins]] and [[Ann-Margret]] followed Hepburn's aesthetic by posing in Lycra clothing for photo shoots and magazine covers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Meaghan |title=What Came First: The Yoga Pant Or The Skinny Jean? |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/yoga-pants-skinny-jeans-trend-history |access-date=2018-12-11 |website=Refinery29 |publisher=Vice Media |language=en}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1" /> In response, DuPont marketed Lycra as the [[Aerobic exercise|aerobic]] [[Physical fitness|fitness]] movement emerged in the 1970s.<ref name=":1" /> The association of Lycra with fitness had been established at the [[1968 Winter Olympics|1968 Winter Olympic Games]], when the French ski team wore Lycra garments.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |title=Lycra: a brief history |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvwIlHUIqAU |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/vvwIlHUIqAU |archive-date=2021-11-17 |url-status=live |access-date=2018-12-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  The fiber came to be especially popular in [[Cycling shorts|mid-thigh-length shorts]] worn by cyclists.<ref name=":2" />

By the 1980s, the fitness trend had reached its height in popularity and fashionistas began wearing shorts on the street.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Spandex – Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages |url=http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/fashion_costume_culture/Modern-World-1980-2003/Spandex.html |access-date=2018-12-11 |website=Encyclopedia of Fashion}}</ref> 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 underwear|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.<ref name=":3" />

In 2019, control of the Lycra Company was sold by [[Koch Industries]] to [[Shandong Ruyi]].<ref name="Kane Wu 2020 v287">{{cite web | last=Kane Wu | first=Scott Murdoch | title='China's LVMH' Shandong Ruyi resists Lycra sale in favour of IPO amid debt crisis: sources | website=Reuters | date=2020-08-06 | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-shandong-ruyi-lycra-idUSKCN2521CY/ | access-date=2024-04-10}}</ref>

== Environmental impact ==
Most clothes containing spandex are difficult to recycle.<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Yunjie Yin |author2=Donggang Yao |author3=Chaoxia Wang |author4=Youjiang Wang |year=2014 |title=Removal of spandex from nylon/spandex blended fabrics by selective polymer degradation |journal=Textile Research Journal |publisher=Textile Research Journal, Volume 84, Issue 1, January 2014 |volume=84 |pages=16–27 |doi=10.1177/0040517513487790 |s2cid=43014321}}</ref> Even a 5% inclusion of spandex will render the fabric incompatible with most mechanical recycling machines. 

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Spandex}}
* [http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7707scitek4.html "What's That Stuff: Spandex"] ''Chemical and Engineering News''

{{Fibers}}
{{Fabric}}
{{Clothing materials and parts}}

[[Category:Products introduced in 1958]]
[[Category:1970s fashion]]
[[Category:1980s fashion]]
[[Category:2000s fashion]]
[[Category:2010s fashion]]
[[Category:Copolymers]]
[[Category:Elastomers]]
[[Category:Synthetic fibers]]
[[Category:Technical fabrics]]
[[Category:Woven fabrics]]
[[Category:Polyethers]]
[[Category:Polyurethanes]]