E-Textiles
19 November 2008, 10:28
Categories: nanotubes-wires-fullerenes smart-materials-smt
Researchers at the University of Michigan and Jiangnan University in China have proposed making electronic textiles using conductive, carbon nanotube-modified cotton yarn. This would offer a simple, and yet remarkably functional, solution for smart textiles that are close in feel and handling to normal fabric, with many parameters exceeding existing solutions.
“Although attempts have been made to fabricate nanotube yarns or impregnate fabric fibers with nanotubes, the vast majority of the studies on textile modification with nanomaterials was carried with nanoparticles,” says Dr. Nicholas Kotov. “There were various reasons for adding metal and semiconductor nanoparticles to fabrics such as fashionably glittering colors, antimicrobial function, UV protection, wrinkle resistance, and anti-odor function.”
In contrast, Kotov and his team developed a method to coat regular cotton yarns with single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) and polyelectrolytes. They repeatedly dipped a regular cotton thread in a CNT dispersion and then let it dry. The scientists point out that their process provides a fast, simple, robust, low-cost, and readily scalable process for making e-textiles.
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