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Inventors from the University of Waterloo (Canada) have detailed the properties of a new smart fabric in an article for the journal Nano-Micro Small. The authors present the fabric as the world’s first material that responds simultaneously to two external stimuli: heat and electricity. Under those influences, the fabric changes color and shape, and once the stimuli are removed, it returns to its original state.
In creating this intelligent fabric, the researchers used a device similar to a traditional weaving loom. They placed thin, interwoven threads made from recycled plastic and stainless steel, as reported by Popular Science.
Compared with previous materials, the new fabric activates at a much lower electrical voltage. This makes it cheaper and more energy-efficient. Thanks to the low voltage, the material can be used in portable devices such as biomedical instruments and sensors. The team says the smart fabric could also be used in anti-counterfeiting measures, orthopedic devices, and biomimetic applications. In the future, the material could appear in smart clothing and everyday products.
Because it’s convenient and simple, temperature sensitivity is one of the most common triggers researchers study in materials that change shape and color. However, the team says precise stimulation is often extremely complex.
To give the new fabric the ability to change color, additional threads containing thermochromic microcapsules (TMC) were woven into the stainless steel conductive threads. When heated, the outer shell of the TMC becomes translucent. After cooling, the shell goes opaque again, returning to its original color.
To demonstrate the potential of their invention, the team made a dragonfly-shaped model from the smart fabric and exposed it to thermal and electrical stimuli.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEhjfSGxj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dEhjfSGxj
“Thanks to its ability to respond to environmental stimuli such as temperature, our new material can be used to monitor ecosystems without harming them,” said Milad Kamkar, a professor of chemical engineering and the lead author of the study.
