Clothes that generate power from body motion on the horizon
Researchers successfully
applied breathable metal-free electrodes to fabric and off-the-shelf clothing
that transport enough electricity to power small electronics
Lightweight, comfortable
clothes that can generate power using bo dy movements may soon become a
reality, thanks to a new coating developed by scientists that turns fabrics
into circuits.
Scientists at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US have invented a way to apply
breathable, pliable, metal-free electrodes to fabric and off-the-shelf clothing
so it feels good to the touch and also transports enough electricity to power
small electronics.
“Such conducting textiles
can be built up into sophisticated electronics. One such application is to
harvest body motion energy and convert it into electricity in such a way that
every time you move, it generates power,“ said Trisha Andrew from University of
Massachusetts Amherst.
Powering advanced fabrics
that can monitor health data remotely are important to the military and
increasingly valued by the health care industry, Andrew said.
Generating small electric
currents through relative movement of layers is called triboelectric charging.
Materials can become
electrically charged as they create friction by moving against a different
material, like rubbing a comb on a sweater.
“By sandwiching layers of
differently materials between two conducting electrodes, a few micro-watts of
power can be generated when we move,“ Andrew said.
The study published in the
journal Advanced Functional Materialsdescribes the vapour deposition method
they use to coat fabrics with a conducting polymer,
poly(3,4ethylenedioxytiophene) also known as PEDOT, to make plain-woven,
conducting fabrics that are resistant to stretching and wear and remain stable
after washing and ironing. The thickest coating they put down is about 500
nanometres, or about110 the diameter of a human hair, which retains a fabric's
hand feel.
The researchers tested
electrical conductivity, fabric stability, chemical and mechanical stability of
PEDOT films and textile parameter effects on conductivity for 14 fabrics,
including five cottons with different weaves, linen and silk from a craft
store.
“Our article describes the
materials science needed to make these robust conductors. We show them to be
stable to washing, rubbing, human sweat and a lot of wear and tear,“ said
Andrew.
PEDOT coating did not
change the feel of any fabric as determined by touch with bare hands before and
after coating.
The researchers said their
invention overcomes the obstacle of power-generating electronics mounted on
plastic or cladded, veneer-like fibres that make garments heavier andor less
flexible than off-theshelf clothing “no matter how thin or flexible these
device arrays are.“
“There is strong motivation
to use something that is already familiar, such as cottonsilk thread, fabrics
and clothes, and imperceptibly adapting it to a new technological application,“
Andrew said.
“This is a huge leap for
consumer products, if you don't have to convince people to wear something
different than what they are already wearing,“ she said.
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