Smart Fabric

 


The university of Waterloo is developing a new type of  cloth. The fabric can heat up when exposed to the sun. Nanoparticles are embedded into the fabric’s fibers.  This is a huge improvement and an environmentally friendly option for winter warmth.

Wearable heated clothing works by a metal or ceramic heating element. This heating element requires an external power source. This is a huge risk for users. 

The new cloth uses conductive polymer nanoparticles that can heat up to 30°C. The design has no external power and will change color (To monitor temperature differences). The team published their findings in advanced, composite and hybrid materials.

Yuning Lu Is a professor at Waterloo Department of chemical engineering. He is part of the research team that includes Chaoxia Wang and Fangquin Ge From the College of textile science and engineering at Jiangnan University in China. Li reports, “ The magic behind the temperature sensitive color change lies in the combination of nanoparticles embedded in the polymer fibers. The nanoparticles are activated by sunlight, enabling the fabric to absorb heat and convert it to warmth.” 

The cloth is fabricated by a wet spinning process. The team combined polyaniline and polydopamine nanoparticles. These particles both enhance light absorption and improve photo thermal conversion. The spinning matrix is made up from thermal plastic polyurethane. Thermalchromic dyes permit the reversible color changing. The strands that are created can be woven into wearable fabric.

Researchers at Waterloo also discovered that the fabric can stretch up to five times it’s original shape. It can be washed up to two dozen times and still retain its appearance and function!!

Li summarizes, “We prioritize durability, ensuring the fabric could withstand repeated use and environmental exposure while maintaining its innovative process.”

This fabric has unlimited potential. 


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