Posted on 10/19/2019 12:42:29 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Dresses emitting sparkling light from hundreds of small LEDs may create eye-catching effects in ballrooms or on fashion shows. But wearable electronics can also mean sensors integrated in functional textiles to monitor, for example, water evaporation or temperature changes.
Energy storage systems powering such wearable devices must combine deformability with high capacity and durability. However, deformable electrodes often fail in long-term operation, and their capacity lags behind that of other state-of-the-art energy storage devices. Electrode materials usually benefit from a fine balance of porosity, conductivity, and electrochemical activity.
Material scientists...have looked deeper into the material demands for flexible electrodes and developed a porous hybrid material synthesized from two carbon nanomaterials and a metal-organic framework. The nanocarbons provided the large surface area and excellent electrical conductivity, and the metal-organic framework gave the porous structure and the electrochemical activity.
To make the electrode materials flexible for wearable applications, the micro-mesoporous carbon frameworks were spun into fibers with a thermoplastic resin by using an innovative blow-spinning machine. The resulting fibers were pressed into cloths and assembled into supercapacitors, although it turned out that another round of coating with the micro-mesoporous carbon frameworks further improved the electrode performances.
The supercapacitors made from these electrodes were not only deformable, but they could also harbor higher energy densities and larger specific capacitances than comparable devices. They were stable and endured more than 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. The scientists also tested them in practical applications such as smart color switching of LEDs in dresses and solar-cell-controlled powering of electronic devices integrated in functional clothing.
The authors pointed out that the microfluidic droplet-based synthesis was key to improving the performance of the electrode materials for wearable electronics. It was all about adjusting the perfect porous nanostructure, they argued.
(Excerpt) Read more at phys.org ...
Say it three times fast.
Yeah, but how many giggawatts is that??
Whatever happened to the controversy about cell phones causing brain cancer?
Now humans are being converted to solar cells.
I am Iron Man...coming soon, to a military near you.
Forget lighted dresses.
The market for these id those people who shuffle their feet in winter before shaking hands!
Wonder how many gigawatts would be required for cankles' twinkly dress/bedspread?
So I clicked through, wondering how the caps get their initial charge, and it looks like it is from the body wearing it. So, yes it might be for those who shuffle their feet on the floor before they shake hands.
How about a transparent outfit?
Keep it clean folks. :) I meant invisibility.
Great, till the batteries catch fire.
Sweetheart of the rodeo! The electric cowgirl!
Although its probably not a good idea to ride on the shoulder after dark even with tailights on your mount! Might get hit by an Amish buggy!
More fun to take off your working gear and have a daytime gallop along the coast!
Nice! You will always be able to find her in the dark!
While I could say she has the look I am also going for, it’s a bit rich for me!
Ben;
I see this as something that will eventually be used in military and areospace applications. Astronaut vitals are generally monitored. This should make it easier to embed the equiptment into the clothing. Same with Soldiers. They can be monitored for battlefield stress and injury.
There is one question about this...how do you wash it and not destroy it?
Let me no when they start selling clothes with stun gun capabilities.
Hmmmm. Washing mashing, dry clean?
I was thinking assassination tool.
It would be fairly easy to build a defibrillator in to a three piece suit.
The “Sensor Society” seems to have nothing else better to do.
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