New Conductive Cotton Based Fibre For Use In Smart Textiles
A single strand of fibre developed at Washington State University has the flexibility of cotton and the electric conductivity of a polymer, called Polyaniline and show good potential for smart textiles.
The WSU researcher tested the fibres with a system that powered an LED light and another that sensed ammonia gas, detailing their findings in the Carbohydrate Polymers journal.
“We have two sections. One section is the conventional cotton, flexible and strong enough for everyday use, and the other side is the conductive material,” Hang Liu, WSU Textile Researcher said.
“The cotton can support the conductive material which can provide the needed function,” Liu added.
According to Liu, while more development is needed, the idea is to integrate fibres like these into apparel as sensor patches with flexible circuits.
These patches could be part of uniforms for firefighters, soldiers or workers who handle chemicals to detect for hazardous exposures.
Other applications include health monitoring or exercise shirts that can do more than fitness monitors.
While intrinsically conductive, Polyaniline is brittle and by itself cannot be made into a fibre for textiles.
To solve this, the WSU researchers dissolved cotton cellulose from recycled t-shirts into a solution and the conductive polymer into another separate solution.
These two solutions were then merged together side-by-side, and the material was extruded to make one fibre.
The result showed good interfacial bonding, meaning the molecules from the different materials would stay together through stretching and bending.
“Achieving the right mixture at the interface of cotton cellulose and polyaniline was a delicate balance, Liu stated.
