Phys.org April 24, 2023 To study multi-stimuli-responsive materials with distinctive abilities to change color and color-changing and shape-memory, an international team of researchers (China, Canada) wove an electrothermally multi-responsive fabric using metallic composite yarns and polymeric/thermochromic microcapsule composite fibers. The shape-memory and color-changing features of the fabric could be controlled by rationally controlling the micro-scale design of the individual fibers in the structure. The microstructural features were optimized to achieve excellent color-changing behavior along with shape fixity and recovery ratios of 99.95% and 79.2%, respectively. The fabric’s dual response by electric field could be achieved by a low voltage of […]
Tag Archives: Smart textiles
Powering up stretchy technology
Nanowerk December 30,2020 Implantable devices need electronics that can be integrated with soft tissue and accommodate the motion of the body. A team of researchers in the US (Michigan State University, Duke University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory) is working on “plant wearables,” which are sensors for crops that can stretch and bend as the plants grow and move. To power these devices they used 4D printing to create supercapacitors that can stretch to new limits without compromising their electrochemical performance. The team used an aerosol jet printer to directly deposit a specially formulated ink onto a stretchable polymer substrate. The […]