Soft, Durable Yarns Sense Blood

摘要

The problem with "smart textiles" made from metallic or optical fibers is that these fibers are fragile, uncomfortable, and difficult to launder. Researchers at the University of Michigan and Jiangnan University have developed a more practical, electrical-conducting thread by dipping commodity cotton thread in a solution of carbon nanotubes. University of Michigan professor Nicholas Kotov says the new process is "simple" and "elegant." A few dips in the solution creates a yarn with lower resistivity (more conductivity) than comparable nan-otube-dyed or drawn-nanotube fibers. The researchers found the best results with single-walled nanotubes (instead of multi-walled), an ethanol solution (instead of water), and a postprocessing acid treatment with thermal annealing.