Cotton Fabrics To Conduct Electricity

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 14:48

Ever thought that your cotton T-shirt could monitor your heart rate, analyse your sweat or even cool you off on a hot summer's day? How does a pillow monitoring brain waves sound?

Yes, it is going to be true as cotton threads that can conduct electric current has been invented. Equipped with these features, the cotton fabric can remain light and comfortable enough to give a whole new meaning to multi-use garments.

The technology works so well that simple knots in such specially treated thread can complete a circuit. Using multidisciplinary nanotechnology, the researchers developed a technique to permanently coat cotton fibers with electrically conductive nanoparticles.

The technology developed allows cotton to remain flexible, light and comfortable while being electronically conductive. Previous technologies have achieved conductivity but the resulting fiber becomes rigid and heavy. The new techniques make yarns friendly to further processing such as weaving, sewing and knitting.

Flexible solar cells can power small electronics from a USB charger located in the waist. The charger can power a smartphone or an MP3 player.