Wearable technology in the form of electronic textiles or smart fabrics could have a huge impact going forward, particularly in the field of healthcare.
These smart fabrics require flexible electronic components, and these can use rare and, in some cases, toxic materials.
The proliferation of technology in general is leading to a huge build-up in electronic waste.
According to researchers from the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, there is a real need for renewable materials in the field of electronic fabrics, and they believe that they might just have found the answer.
The team have been looking at electrically conductive natural fibres for some years now.
Their focus was previously on silk, but this has now turned towards organic cellulose threads.
In a paper published in the journal ASC Applied Materials & Interfaces, the researchers described how they were able to turn these electrically conductive threads into a thermoelectric fabric using a regular sewing machine.
The textile generates a small amount of electricity when exposed to heat on one side.
The heat required could be supplied by a wearer’s own body, essentially providing wearable technology that doesn’t need any other external power supplies.
Conductive threads could lead to fabric with inbuilt smart functions
Researcher Sozan Darabi said that this could lead to wearable garments with built-in smart functions constructed from natural materials that are also entirely non-toxic and renewable.
The electric conductivity of the cellulose threads was boosted to record levels by dyeing them with a polymeric material that was itself highly conductive.
The conductivity was increased by adding tiny silver nanowires and was able to be maintained through several test washes of the fabric.
The electricity generated was small, with a temperature difference of 37°C producing around 0.2 microwatts of electricity.
This could still be enough to power many low-power smart functions, however.
In the realm of healthcare, this could involve automatically monitoring, measuring and recording various health metrics.
Cellulose threads could also have a wider application in the textile industry, especially as it moves further towards sustainability.
Natural fibres tend to be a greener option, and products made from a single material, or as few materials as possible, are usually easier to recycle.
This could see cellulose becoming a more common choice over synthetic materials.
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