Researchers have developed a proof-of-concept for integrated textile-based electronics that could make their way from the lab to the wardrobe by building a textile energy grid that can power textile devices. It includes a warming element and environmental sensors that transmit data in real-time.
THE RESEARCH: Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Accenture Labs in California, in a paper published in the journal Materials Today, described the process and viability of building the grid by printing on nonwoven cotton textiles with an ink composed of MXene, a type of nanomaterial created at Drexel. This ink is highly conductive and durable enough to withstand the folding, stretching and washing that clothing endures.
- MXene materials hold the key to translating a variety of technology into textile form.
- Not only can MXene ink be applied to most common textile substrate, but a number of MXene-based devices have also been demonstrated as proofs-of-concept.
THE TEXTILE GRID: The proposed textile grid was printed on a lightweight, flexible cotton substrate the size of a small patch. It includes a printed resonator coil, dubbed an MX-coil, that can convert electromagnetic waves into energy — enabling wireless charging; and a series of three textile supercapacitors — previously developed by Drexel and Accenture Labs — that can store energy and use it to power electronic devices.
- The grid was able to wirelessly charge at 3.6 volts — enough to power not only wearable sensors, but also digital circuits in computers, or small devices, like wristwatches and calculators.
- Just 15 minutes of charging produced enough energy to power small devices for more than 90 minutes. And its performance barely diminished after an extensive series of bending and washing cycles to simulate the wear and tear exerted on clothing.
- In addition to testing the grid with small electronic devices, collaborators from the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrated that it can also power wireless MXene-based biosensor electrodes — called MXtrodes — that can monitor muscle movement.
- In this vein, they also used the system to power an off-the-shelf array of temperature and humidity sensors and a microcontroller to broadcast the data they collected in real-time. A wireless charge of 30 minutes powered real-time broadcasts from the sensors — a relatively energy-intensive function — for 13 minutes.
- And lastly, the team used the MX-coil to power a printed, on-textile heating element, called a Joule heater, that produced a temperature gain of about 4 degrees Celsius as a proof-of-concept.
Beyond on-garment applications requiring energy storage, the team also demonstrated use cases that may not require energy storage like for instance situations with relatively sedentary users — an infant in a crib, or a patient in a hospital bed — would allow direct power applications, such as continuously wireless powered monitoring of movement and vital signs.
- The research shows that a textile-based power grid could power any number of peripheral devices: fibre-based LEDs for fashion or job safety, wearable haptics for AR/VR applications like job training and entertainment, and control external electronics when a stand-alone controller may be undesirable.
The next step for developing this technology involves showing how the system could be scaled up without diminishing its performance or limiting its ability to be integrated into textiles.
THE TEAM & SUPPORT: Lead Researcher: Yury Gogotsi, distinguished university and Bach professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering; Alex Inman, from AJ Drexel Nanomaterials Institute; Bita Soltan Mohammadlou, Kateryna Shevchuk, James FitzPatrick, and Iryna Roslyk, from Drexel; Jung Wook Park, Noah Pacik-Nelson, Eric M. Gallo, and Andreea Danielescu, from Accenture Labs; and Raghav Garg and Flavia Vitale, from the University of Pennsylvania.
The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, and Accenture, LLP.
WHAT THEY SAID:
We tend to think of biological sensors as a very enticing application because this is the future of health care. They can be integrated directly into textiles, increasing the quality and fidelity of the data and increasing user comfort. But our research shows that a textile-based power grid could power any number of peripheral devices: fiber-based LEDs for fashion or job safety, wearable haptics for AR/VR applications like job training and entertainment, and control external electronics when a stand-alone controller may be undesirable.
— Yury Gogotsi
University and Bach Professor
Drexel’s College of Engineering
