smart sensors, energy harvesting, and storage right into the fibers and yarns of its fabric. This is the first time a complicated system has been incorporated into textiles using a purely fiber-based manufacturing process, and its developers believe it might pave the way for a whole new class of smart devices and systems.
Prof Jong min Kim at Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who worked in the research along with Dr Luigi Occhipinti and Prof Manish Chhowalla, said, “Our approach is built on the convergence of micro and nanotechnology, advanced displays, sensors, energy and technical textile manufacturing”. He added, “This is a step towards the full exploitation of sustainable, convenient e-fibres and e-textiles in daily applications. And it’s only the beginning.”
The smart cloth can be used as a display, to monitor inputs, or to store energy for future use. It is capable of sensing radio frequency signals, as well as touch, light, and temperature. It can also be rolled up, and because it is manufactured using commercial textile production procedures, vast rolls of this useful fabric can be produced in this manner. By incorporating specialist fibers into standard weaving or knitting processes, they may be integrated into ordinary things, opening up a slew of new application possibilities.
To overcome these obstacles, the study team coated each fiber component with a substance that can endure sufficient stretching to be utilized on textile manufacturing equipment, thereby enabling the technique to be employed in weaving.
Dr Occhipinti from Cambridge’s Department of Engineeringspoke about the role of fiber in smart devices. He said, “By integrating fiber-based electronics, photonic, sensing and energy functionalities, we can achieve a whole new class of smart devices and systems”. He added, “By unleashing the full potential of textile manufacturing, we could soon see smart and energy-autonomous Internet of Things devices that are seamlessly integrated into everyday objects and many other sector applications.”
The prototype display represents a significant step toward future-generation e-textile applications in areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT) or smart and energy-efficient buildings capable of self-generation and storage of energy. The researchers are currently collaborating with European partners to develop a technology that is both sustainable and applicable to regular goods. They intend to employ sustainable resources for fiber components, therefore establishing a new category of energy textile systems.
Eventually, the research may result in the development of a flexible, smart fabric that might be used in batteries, supercapacitors, solar panels, and other devices. The study, which was published in Nature Communications, was partially sponsored by the European Commission and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), a division of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
