Fiber is a piece of material that is long, thin, and flexible, like a length of thread. Plant fibers are the basis of fabric such as cotton, silk, and wool fibers that come from animals. In the 20th century, many artificial fibers were invented like nylon and polyester. They are very important in the structure of plants and animals because they hold tissues together. There are many uses for fibers. They can be spun together into filaments, thread, string, or rope. They can be woven in fabric or composite materials.

Fibers are obtained from natural sources, that is, plants and animals. For instance, cotton, wool, and silk. However, some of them may be derived artificially. The fibers made by humans are called synthetic or man-made fibers. They are not derived from natural sources. Some examples of synthetic fibers are nylon, rayon, polyester, etc. Technically, these fibers are usually formed as a chain of small units, called chemical substances which are stacked together. Synthetic fibers and plastics are composed of particles or molecules called polymers.

A polymer, therefore, is a large molecule derived by combining many small molecules. These small molecules individually are called monomers. The process of deriving a polymer from monomers is called polymerization.

What are fibers?

Fibers are substances used to manufacture materials and fabrics such as cables, wires, clothes, curtains, and bedsheets. They are usually long, thin, and flexible, making them appropriate for manufacturing bendable, strong materials. Some of the most common types of fibers are cotton, silk, jute, linen, nylon, rayon, etc. 

Depending upon the origin of the fiber, it is classified mainly into two types: natural and synthetic fibers.

Natural fibers:

Natural fibers are the fibers that are obtained from plants, animals, or mineral sources. Some examples are cotton, silk, wool, etc. Natural fibers can again be divided into two types based on their source i.e. plants and animals.

Examples of natural fibers:

Natural fibers can be classified into two broad categories: plant fibers and animal fibers.

1. Animal fibers: These are the fibers that are obtained from animals. For example Wool, silk, etc.

• Wool: Wool is a natural textile fiber obtained from sheep, goats, and camels. It traps a lot of air. Air is a bad conductor of heat. This makes clothes made from wool useful in winter.
• Silk: Silk is also a natural textile fiber that is obtained from silkworms. The rearing of silkworms to obtain silk is known as sericulture.

1. Plant fibers: These are the ones that are obtained from plants. These fibers are extracted from the plants to make fabrics.

• Cotton: It is one of the plant fibers that are used to make clothes. It is a soft staple fiber that is found as a ball around the seeds in a cotton plant.
• Jute: It is a vegetable fiber that is soft, shiny, and spun into coarse strong threads.

Advantages of natural fibers:

• Good sweat absorbents.

• Available in a variety of textures.

• Easy to wear and carry in hot and humid climates.

• Flexible and relatively strong.

• High elasticity – When subjected to high tension, they partially or completely return to their original length when the tension is removed.

Disadvantages of natural fibers:

• The strength of natural fibers is very less compared to synthetic fibers.
• Natural fibers are heavy.
• Natural fibers can be damaged by moths and other insects.
• These fibers are not wrinkle-free.
• These fibers are not long-lasting and hence not durable.

Synthetic fibers:

Synthetic fibers are man-made polymers designed to make a fabric. Polymers are obtained when many small units are joined together chemically. One of the main reasons for their creation was the need for stronger fibers that could withstand a lot of pressure. A lot of these fibers have extended use other than textiles.

Examples of synthetic fibers:

Some of the examples of synthetic fibers are:

• Rayon: Rayon is manufactured from wood pulp. Owing to its high resemblance to silk, rayon is also termed artificial silk. In comparison to natural silk, it is cheaper and can also be dyed in several colors.
• Nylon: Nylon was the first commercially synthesized silk-like fiber. Nylon is manufactured from coal, water, and air.
• Polyester: Polyester is a highly popular man-made fiber used for making clothes. Owing to its name, it is made up of repeating units of a chemical called ester.
• Acrylic: Acrylic is a highly popular man-made fiber.  Owing to its high resemblance to wool, acrylic is also termed artificial wool. In comparison to natural wool, it is cheaper and can also be dyed in several colors.

Advantages of synthetic fibers:

• Good elasticity.
• Easy blending with other fibers.
• Non-shrinking property.
• Highly absorbent
• They don’t wrinkle up easily.
• Less expensive.
• Readily available and durable.
• Handle heavy load without breaking.

Disadvantages of synthetic fibers:

• Owing to their low melting point, the synthetic fibers are subjected to heat with caution. For example, while ironing.
• Less absorbent properties make these fibers uncomfortable to wear during hot and humid days. They stick to the body in a humid climate.
• Since these fibers are non-biodegradable, they have serious environmental impacts.
• They are prone to catch fire very easily.

Characteristics of synthetic fibers in comparison to natural fibers:

• Large durability.

• Stronger.
• Cheaper
• Easy maintenance and wash.

Differences between natural and synthetic fibers:

To make you understand how natural and synthetic fibers are different from each other, here are the some of the major differences between natural and synthetic fibers:

Conclusion:

The clothes which we wear are made of fabrics. Fabrics are made from fibers obtained from natural or artificial sources. They are very important in the structure of plants and animals because they hold tissues together. There are many uses for fibers. They can be spun together into filaments, thread, string, or rope. They can be woven in fabric or composite materials.