In recent decades, the clothing industry has embraced the fast fashion model.In the process, it has become a voracious consumer of energy and a source of much waste.Between 2000 and 2014 In 2015, citizens began to buy nearly twice as much clothing. And this obviously has environmental implications.By some estimates, the industry is 10% of global greenhouse gases. More than the aviation industry and sea freight combined. Betting on models that improve fashion sustainability and strengthen recycling is therefore a priority.Harvard researchers in the field technology project Apply 3D printing technology to create keratin-based memory textiles.
Memory materials are basically able to recover their shape when exposed to external stimuli such as humidity and heat. In this case, the research team chose keratin. Keratin is based on its ability to change shape based on its hierarchical structure. These helices join together to form protofilaments, which in turn lead to the emergence of filaments. These filaments can be stretched so that they remain “unwound”. When stimulated, it returns to its original shape. It’s the same reason your hair curls when it’s wet.
The team behind this new “wool” managed to modify the shape of each keratin sheet using a 3D printing process using a solution of hydrogen peroxide and monosodium phosphate. For example, one of his sheets has become an intricate origami star. After that, it was soaked in water, dried, and rolled into a tubular shape. Finally, wetting it again caused the keratin compound to return to its star shape. The technology could have a wide variety of uses, from custom-made bra cups to tissue covering body parts.
Fibertronics: the new generation of smart clothing
The organizational case developed at Harvard University is an example of a passive intelligent organization. That is, it responds to stimuli. Another example is clothing with color properties that change color when exposed to body heat. However, the latest technological advances bet on active functionality through the use of electronic circuits. This field is known as fibertronics and can integrate biomedical sensors into clothing or provide the ability to generate electricity or heat. This is accomplished by triboelectric fibers that can generate an electric current when exposed to motion, or by interweaving metal fibers that act as resistance and are heated by the passage of an electric current. Another approach to fibertronics is to add sheets to textile garments or impregnate them with intelligent inks containing metal nanoparticles.
Nanotechnology opens many doors in this field, as carbon or graphite nanotubes can also be used to give clothing new functionality. This approach doubles the possibilities in the development of wearables and other devices, allowing them to be integrated into everyday clothing and communicate with mobile phones and his IoT devices.
Applications of Fibertronics:
- Power generation by triboelectric fibers.
- Heat generation due to electrical resistance.
- Reception of electromagnetic waves as an antenna.
- A biosensor that detects your pulse and body temperature.
- Geopositioning device.
In short, in the next decade, clothing could move beyond aesthetic or insulating considerations into technology add-ons.
sauce: science daily
