A collaborative research project led by the University of Southampton and UWE Bristol has come up with inkjet-printed, eco-friendly e-textiles named ‘Smart, Wearable, and Eco-friendly Electronic Textiles’, or ‘SWEET’ that shows that wearable electronic textiles (e-textiles) can be both sustainable and biodegradable.
- Findings of the study published in the journal Energy and Environmental Materials describes and tests the new sustainable approach for the fully inkjet-printed ‘SWEET’.
- This potential ecofriendly approach for selecting sustainable materials and manufacturing enables the fabric to decompose when it is disposed of.
- The study also involved the Universities of Exeter, Cambridge, Leeds and Bath.
THE DESIGN: The team’s design has three layers: a sensing layer, a layer to interface with the sensors and a base fabric.
- It uses Tencel, made from renewable wood and is biodegradable, for the base.
- The active electronics in the design are made from graphene, along with a polymer called PEDOT: PSS. These conductive materials are precision inkjet-printed onto the fabric.
- The researchers tested samples of the material for continuous monitoring of human physiology using five volunteers.
- Swatches of the fabric, connected to monitoring equipment, were attached to gloves worn by the participants. Results confirmed the material can effectively and reliably measure both heart rate and temperature at the industry standard level.
LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: The project team buried the e-textiles in soil to measure its biodegradable properties. After four months, the fabric had lost 48% of its weight and 98% of its strength, suggesting relatively rapid and also effective decomposition.
- A lifecycle assessment revealed the graphene-based electrodes had up to 40 times less impact on the environment than standard electrodes.
- The LCA showed that graphene-based e-textiles have a fraction of the environmental footprint compared to traditional electronics. This makes them a more responsible choice for industries looking to reduce their ecological impact.
- The ink-jet printing process is also a more sustainable approach for e-textile fabrications, depositing exact numbers of functional materials on textiles as needed, with almost no material waste and less use of water and energy than conventional screen printing.
- The researchers hope they can now move forward with designing wearable garments made from SWEET for potential use in the healthcare sector, particularly in the area of early detection and prevention of heart-related diseases that 640 million people suffer from worldwide.
THE CONTEXT: Integrating electrical components into conventional textiles complicates the recycling of the material because it often contains metals, such as silver, that don’t easily biodegrade.
RESEARCH TEAM: Marzia Dulal (UWE Bristol, a Commonwealth PhD Scholar and First Author of the study), Harsh Rajesh Mansukhlal Modha, Jingqi Liu, Md Rashedul Islam, Chris Carr, Tawfique Hasan, Robin Michael Statham Thorn, Shaila Afroj (Associate Professor of Sustainable Materials from the University of Exeter and a Co-Author), Nazmul Karim (Corresponding Author0.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Amid rising pollution from landfill sites, our study helps to address a lack of research in the area of biodegradation of e-textiles. These materials will become increasingly more important in our lives, particularly in the area of healthcare, so it’s really important we consider how to make them more eco-friendly, both in their manufacturing and disposal.
— Professor Nazmul Karim (Lead Researcher)
Winchester School of Art
University of Southampton
Achieving reliable, industry-standard monitoring with eco-friendly materials is a significant milestone. It demonstrates that sustainability doesn’t have to come at the cost of functionality, especially in critical applications like healthcare.
— Dr Shaila Afroj (Co-author)
Associate Professor, Sustainable Materials /
University of Exeter
