Spiders Inspire Soft & Recyclable Fibres For Smart Textiles
Taking a lesson from spiders, researchers from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering under the NUS College of Design and Engineering in Singapore, have created an innovative method to produce soft, recyclable fibres for smart textiles.
This innovative method produces strong, stretchable, electrically conductive, and recyclable soft fibres at room temperature and pressure, overcoming the challenges of conventional methods.
According to NUS, these researchers have developed a simple, efficient, and sustainable method to produce functional soft fibres that are suitable for smart textile electronics.
Smart textiles offer many potential wearable technology applications, from therapeutics to sensing to communication. For such intelligent textiles to function effectively, they need to be strong, stretchable, and electrically conductive.
“However, fabricating fibres that possess these three properties is challenging and requires complex conditions and systems,” NUS said.
The fabrication process can be carried out at room temperature and pressure, and uses less solvent as well as less energy, making it an attractive option for producing functional soft fibres for various smart applications.
“Technologies for fabricating soft fibres should be simple, efficient and sustainable to meet the high demand for smart textile electronics. Soft fibres created using our spider-inspired method of spinning have been demonstrated to be versatile for various smart technology applications,” Asst Prof Tan Swee Ching said.
“For example, these functional fibres can be incorporated into a strain-sensing glove for gaming purposes, and a smart face mask to monitor breathing status for conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea. These are just some of the many possibilities,” he added.
