MOSCOW, 26 Jul – . Tomsk Polytechnic University scientists have developed a new material for «smart» clothing based on nylon fabric and reduced graphene oxide. Hybrid textile retains its properties during washing and has electrical conductivity, which, according to the authors, allows it to be used to create textile sensor platforms. The results of the work are published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.
One of the topical scientific directions today is the development of flexible textile electronics for «smart» clothing. According to scientists from Tomsk Polytechnic University, textile electronics have advantages over flexible polymer-based devices, since textiles provide close contact with the skin and make it possible to create comfortable, lightweight and compact sensors that can read pulse, pressure and other indicators of the human body.
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Scientists from the TERS-Team of the Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies of Tomsk Polytechnic University, led by professors Evgenia Sheremet and Raul Rodriguez, have synthesized a hybrid conductive material based on synthetic fabric. To do this, they applied graphene oxide to nylon, which was then laser-treated. The resulting composite is easy to manufacture and stable even after several washes.
Laser processing melts nylon, resulting in more than just coating formation – graphene particles are embedded in fabric fibers, said a professor at the Research School of Chemistry. and Biomedical Technologies TPU Evgenia Sheremet.
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“This provides improved mechanical properties of the resulting composite. It is ultrasonic, stretch and wash resistant so it can be used to modify everyday clothing. After laser treatment, the material becomes electrically conductive and can be used as an active material for sensors. Most importantly, such free-form structures can be used off the shelf without the extra protection or insulation often required for such materials,» she said.
According to her, the created textiles can also be made antibacterial with using silver nanoparticles. To do this, scientists applied silver nitrate to hybrid textiles and irradiated it with a laser. As a result, silver particles with an antibacterial effect were formed on the surface of the fabric.
«Deposited silver particles have unique optical properties of plasmonic particles. This makes our hybrid textile promising for the creation of optical sensors. Silver particles make it possible to read signals that «describe» surface chemistry using optical spectroscopy methods. Thus, using silver, we conducted a series of successful experiments on detection of a model dye substance and glucose,» said Anna Lipovka, an assistant at the Research School of Chemical and Biomedical Technologies at TPU.
Scientists have tested the possibility of using composites as sensors for recording gestures, measuring heart rate in real time, and recognizing voice. During the experiments, they embedded sensors in a glove made from a mixture of nylon, spandex and polyester. The results obtained, according to the authors, open the way to the development of safe and complex multisensor platforms that can be directly integrated into everyday tissues.
The study was supported by the Priority 2030 program of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. Tomsk Polytechnic University participates in the Research Leadership track program with three strategic projects — Future Energy, Health Engineering and New Engineering Education.