Smart fabrics What are they? Definition and examples

 Today we will talk about smart fabrics, one of the great technological advances that will mark the future in various areas.

Textile elements are found everywhere, from the vehicles we use, to the bandages that heal us or even in buildings and roads, so their use extends far beyond the clothes we wear.

Now imagine that all those textile elements were intelligent fabrics capable of collecting information, adapting to the conditions of the environment and communicating.

For example, smart shirts that can measure your heart rate and transmit it to the hospital in the event of an alert or smart bandages that automatically release medications according to the condition of the wound.

In construction, a building covered with these fabrics could automatically change color or let in more or less light depending on the level of solar radiation, thus saving a lot of money on air conditioning.

Smart fabrics, also called e-textiles or functional fabrics, will change the world as we know it, promoting a future where fabrics will be more beautiful, functional and responsive.

What are smart fabrics?

Smart fabrics are textiles that have the ability to alter their physical and / or chemical properties in response to changes in the environment, thus providing some type of benefit to users.

In essence, these smart fabrics are made by combining advanced fibers and technological elements, such as sensors, actuators and microcontrollers.

Advanced fibers combine yarn with conductive polymers, optical fibers, shape memory polymers and the famous phase change materials, capable of absorbing or giving off heat depending on the temperature.

They can also be accompanied by other external additions such as thermochromic dyes and other chemical treatments.

All these materials interact with each other, causing an energy transfer to external agents such as light, temperature or pressure. This activates smart fabrics, which respond according to the specific function for which they have been designed.

Types of smart fabrics

With the advancement of technology, smart fabrics have evolved to be divided into various types or generations. They are as follows:

•First generation (passive tissues): they can only detect external changes, whether environmental or by stimuli, but they cannot modify their characteristics.

•Second generation (active tissues): they are not only capable of detecting changes, but also of acting against them, either by thermoregulating, changing shape or modifying any other property they possess.

•Third generation (very active tissues): in addition to detecting and reacting, they are capable of adapting to different situations, that is, they have a certain cognitive capacity to respond to environmental stimuli. For this reason they are also known as "ultra smart".

Uses and examples

Smart-type fabrics can have a wide variety of functions and applications both on a day-to-day basis and on an industrial level.

Although the fields where they have the most applications are: architecture, fashion, medicine, sports, military, entertainment, security and transportation.

In these areas we can find for example:

Chameleonic or chromic textiles

So called because they can modify their color depending on the external agents that are applied to them. According to the stimulus there are several types:

•Thermochromic: the temperature is the external agent that makes them change color. Which makes them an effective visual indicator.

•Photochromic: they are sensitive to certain types of radiation, which causes them to change color. For example, ultraviolet radiation can cause a garment to change color in sunlight.

•Salvatochromic: it is the humidity in this case that causes the color change. For example, they can modify the colors of a swimsuit when entering the water.

Cosmetic textiles

Its objective is to increase the comfort of people by taking care of the skin, either by hydrating it, protecting it from harmful external agents, or even releasing aromas.

Examples of these smart fabrics can be scented underwear, socks with moisturizing properties and refreshing clothes.

Textiles with microcapsules

Garments that incorporate various active agents encapsulated in small doses and protected from the outside environment so that they can fulfill a certain function.

For example, these microcapsules can store or absorb body heat and later release it when the situation requires it.

Electrically conductive textiles

They are fabrics whose main purpose is to dissipate the electricity that may accumulate on their surface. For example, the one that causes friction of synthetic fibers.

This makes them very useful for example in the clothing of electrical technicians or also for those who work with consumer electronics.

Electronic fabrics

They take advantage of the conductivity that some textile polymers have to incorporate small electronic components such as sensors, small batteries, etc.

A very clear example of these electronic fabrics is heated clothing, since it can provide heat through the use of electronic elements such as resistors.

With shape memory

They are tissues that can change shape due to the action of external agents, generally temperature, although there are also tissues that react to other stimuli, such as magnetic fields.

A jacket with this technology can, for example, expand with increasing temperature, become more breathable, and contract with the cold to conserve heat.

Nanotechnology

Actually more than just a type of fabric, nanotechnology is a branch of science that can be used to further improve today's textile materials.

Thanks to polymers made from nanofibers, it is possible to add additional layers to tissues and nanoparticles with various properties.

This technology is being focused on manufacturing, for example, new antibacterial, flame retardant, stain resistant fabrics or even capable of absorbing ultraviolet rays.

 newyorkersblog    cosmopolitansblog    realsimpleblog    nextwebblog   theinformativeblog