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the news service for textile futures
Electronic Textiles
Ten sensors per fibre with XelfleX
XelfleX, developed by the UK’s Cambridge Consultants, is a smart textile that turns garments into
active motion sensors. It can be used to make comfortable, washable, robust clothing—and gives
users information not available from existing wearables.
Until now, smart fabrics have had multiple electronic sensors, making them cumbersome and sensitive to moisture. What makes XelfleX
different is its fibre-optic thread which acts as the sensor—making a garment inherently smart. The only addition required is a small
electronics pack, which clips on to the fabric
– in a pocket, for example – and
communicates with a smartphone.
The technology could be used for
fitness and sports coaching, but also as
part of physiotherapy to help patients
recover after injury, surgery or
neurological problems. It could also be
used for motion capture for gaming, film
making and virtual reality applications,
owing to its ability to make multiple
accurate angle measurements.
“Our aim was to create wearables that
people actually want to wear,” says XelfleX
inventor Martin Brock, of Cambridge
Consultants. “With XelfleX, the garment
itself is the sensor and it allows you to
create smart clothing that is low-cost,
durable, useful and attractive to wear.”
Fibre-optics and radar
XelfleX builds on the extensive experience
of Cambridge Consultants in industrial fibreoptic sensors and low-cost impulse radar.
When a pulse of light is transmitted down an
optical fibre, a very well-defined amount of
light is scattered continuously along its
length. Bending the fibre results in increased
scattering and reflection, which can then
be measured.
By integrating the fibre into a close-fitting
garment, the movement of a joint can change
the amount of bending at a defined sensor
point in the fibre. Up to 10 sensors are
possible along each fibre—with the initial
light pulse sent by a light-emitting diode
(LED) in the electronics pack.
Algorithms then turn the results from the
sensors into guidance that users can easily
understand, giving feedback on their
Issue 100
This is the 100th edition of Smart Textiles and Nanotechnogy,
which was launched in November 2006.
That very first issue revealed, among other things, that over half a
million Softswitch textile sensor controls had already been integrated
into clothing by brands such as Adidas, Burton, O’Neil and Zegna. It also
reported that a Hong-Kong company called U-Right had installed
capacity in China to add nanocoatings to ten million garments on a
monthly basis. Where are they now?
There was not a smartwatch to be seen and no mention of threedimensionally (3D) printed electronics, driverless cars or the internet
of things. In this issue, the number of wearable devices at January’s
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, is
described as “staggering”.
We will continue to serve as a filter for relevant developments at the
interface of textiles, nanosciences and electronics in our efforts to provide
context and insight into what remains an astonishingly fast-moving field.
In another eight years’ time, 2006 will surely seem like a different planet.
Adrian Wilson, Editor
February 2015
http://www.technical-textiles.net ISSN 1752-2668
©2015 International Newsletters Ltd
February 2015
http://www.technical-textiles.net
In this issue
ELECTRONIC TEXTILES
Ten sensors per fibre with XelfleX
First piezoelectric fabrics
WEARABLE TECHNOLOgIES
Towards a driverless future at CES 2015
New route to reading the body
Relieving pain with Quell
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5
posture and movement, and coaching them on how to improve. It is the latest example
of how technology can bring advanced sports technique training within the reach of
any athlete.
“XelfleX demonstrates the benefits of our ‘cross-fertilization’ of technology between
very different sectors—it is at the intersections between industries that innovation often
happens,” said Brock. “We’ve combined our extensive experience in wearable technology
with our deep knowledge of industrial sensing and control to come up with a smart system
design for a new generation of wearables.”
Contact: Martin Brock, Cambridge Consultants.
Tel: +44 (1223) 420024.
[email protected];
http://www. CambridgeConsultants.com
Wearable Technologies
Towards a driverless future at
CES 2015
Stretch electronic ink from DuPont
Wearable technology: a materials goldmine
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6
SMART FABRICS
Lung monitoring with smart fabrics
£2.8 million for UK smart fabrics development
NovaBone promotes new growth
Funding for advanced Ebola suit
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7
9
10
THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTINg
Three-dimensional metals, stone and wood
6
PRINTED ELECTRONICS
Developer’s kit for three-diemensional
electronics launched
7
NANOFIBRES
Nanofibre media from PGI
8
gRAPHENE
Elicarb graphene expansion at Thomas Swan
8
NANOCOATINgS
New funding for C3Nano
8
SMART FIBRES
Encapsulated infrared fibre from Kelheim
9
SMART MATERIALS
Climbing the walls at Stanford
10
EVENTS
Diary of Events
11
Wearable devices were everywhere at the 2015 Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on
6–9 January. It is clear that the consumer electronics industry
wants activity tracking and body monitoring to become the next
compulsive displacement activity to follow scrolling through
Facebook or checking emails.
Despite the buzz and hype around such events, it is still far from clear that there is much
consumer enthusiasm for these products beyond specialized sports circles. However, when
even the UK tabloid newspaper the Daily Mirror lists its top ten favourite wearable technologies,
it is clear the industry and media are opting to prise open a mass-market by brute force.
“If there was one product category that was going to thrive at this year’s CES it was
always going to be wearable technology,” the Daily Mirror said. “We identified it as a trend
before the show and it’s even bigger than we thought.”
Quantity
“The sheer quantity of wearable tech products on show at this year’s CES is staggering,”
Enni Charlton, a Buyer for John Lewis told the paper. “There are lots of weird and wonderful
ideas on show, and while we wouldn’t expect every single one to become popular with the
British public, one trend that’s clear is that manufacturers are striving to make their
wearable products fashionable as well as useful.”
Wearables, however, had to share the CES 2015 limelight with a number of other major
emerging markets, including three-dimensional (3D) printing and drones. Perhaps most
notable was the considerable presence with smart technologies of major car manufacturers
including Audi, BMW, Ford and Mercedes—just days before the North American Auto Show
in Detroit, Michigan, USA, opened on 12 January.
The head of a collaboration between electronics maker LG and Audi used a smartwatch
to summon the driverless Audi Prologue on-stage for the company’s press conference. The
watch – which will be available in 2016 – started the car’s engine with a single tap.
The remote parking of a BMW i3 research vehicle via a smartwatch was
also demonstrated.
The fully automated Remote Valet Parking Assistant in the car combines information
from laser scanners with the digital site plan of a building, such as a multi-storey car park.
This allows a driver to leave the vehicle and use a smartwatch to activate the fully
automated system to drive it independently through the levels.
The Remote Valet Parking Assistant recognizes the structural features of the car park
and equally reliably steers around any obstacles that appear unexpectedly—such as
incorrectly parked vehicles. Once the BMW i3 has arrived at the parking space, the vehicle
locks itself and waits to be called by smartwatch and voice command. The system then
calculates the exact time until the driver will arrive at the car park and starts-up the i3 so
that it arrives at the car park exit at exactly the right time.
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February 2015
system brakes automatically. The vehicle is brought to a
standstill very precisely with centimetres to spare. If the driver
steers away from the obstacle or changes direction, the system
releases the brakes. This relieves the burden on the driver in an
environment with poor visibility and makes a further contribution
to enhanced safety and comfort. Like all BMW assistance systems,
this research application can be overridden at any time by
the driver.
BMW has succeeded in achieving fully automated control of the
vehicle by connecting-up vehicle sensor systems and a digital site
plan. This avoids dependence on the GPS signal, which is not at all
precise in multi-storey car parks.
Alongside the laser sensors, the research vehicle also has the
processing units and necessary algorithms onboard to determine its
exact position in the car park, monitor the environment and carry
out independent and fully automated navigation.
Contact: Nikolai glies, Business and Finance
Communications, BMW.
Tel: +49 (89) 382-24544.
[email protected];
http://www.bmwgroup.com
Collision avoidance
BMW’s platform for 360-degree collision avoidance involves
secure position and environment recognition. Four advanced laser
scanners record the environment and reliably identify
impediments such as, for example, columns in a multi-storey car
park. If the vehicle approaches a wall or a column too quickly, the
Smart Fabrics
Lung monitoring with smart fabrics
Freudenberg and Swisstom Ag have developed a system that combines electrical impedance
tomography (EIT) with an electrode belt, for the real-time monitoring of the human lungs.
The SensorBelt is positioned around the patient’s chest and
provides what has not previously been possible—a window into
the lungs.
Every year, almost 50 million patients throughout the world are
placed on ventilators, whether in operating rooms or in intensive
care units. Around 15% of patients in the intensive care units suffer
acute respiratory failure and 39% of these die. In the US, more
patients die from acute respiratory failure than from breast cancer.
Optimum respiratory therapy saves lives. It is important to
monitor the effects of ventilation on the fragile tissue of the lungs.
This is where the EIT system with the SensorBelt comes into play.
The sensors use the principle of EIT without x-rays. Alternating
current flows through the patient’s body creating voltages on the
surface of the body. These voltages change rhythmically as the
patient breathes. The sensors in the SensorBelt pick up these very
small changes in voltage, and a computer uses the measurements to
create real-time images of the lungs.
To ensure contact between the electronic systems and the
patient’s skin at all times – even under the difficult conditions of
intensive care units – the electrode belt must fit the patient like a
second skin. A tight fit is ensured by the enmech flexible circuit in
which the 32 sensors are installed.
The skin-friendly outer nonwoven fabric protects both the body
and the electronic systems against environmental effects. The
nonwoven consists of very fine polyurethane (PU) fibres—a
backing material also used for wound dressings. The fibres can be
spun to form a very tight fabric that still remains breathable
and elastic.
Rapid recognition
“This is a considerable benefit to intensive care medicine,” says Dr
Christian Karagiannidis, a Senior Pneumologist at the CologneMerheim Lung Hospital in Germany. “With seriously ill patients,
continuous monitoring allows us to optimize mechanical ventilation
and to recognize any pathological changes very rapidly.”
He has already tested the product in practice. In contrast to the
large remote CT scanners that deliver static images of lung
structures, the small bedside EIT system with the SensorBelt allows
continuous monitoring of the patient’s lung function without
negative effects of radiation.
Freudenberg Nonwovens contributes its skin-friendly nonwovens
to the product, in combination with flexible circuit boards developed
by sister company enmech.
Flexible
“We had to find a material that was flexible and would adapt well to
the patient’s body while remaining stable and retaining its shape,
even after having been exposed to body fluids and warmth and after
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February 2015
mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care and during general
anaesthesia. Users of its products include intensive care specialists,
anaesthetists and nursing personnel. In contrast to conventional
tomography methods, the images of Swisstom systems are
generated by EIT.
Contact: Indira Sadikovic, Freudenberg Corporate
Communications North America.
Tel: +1 (734) 354-5505.
[email protected]; http://www.freudenberg.us
New route to
reading the body
opening and closing it for several times,” explains Katja Herbrand,
European Medical Sales Manager at Freudenberg Nonwovens.
enmech meanwhile, is able to produce flexible circuit boards with
a length of over one metre and to equip them with electronic
components such as our EIT Chip.
“These circuit boards have to comply with the highest possible
quality standards,” says Dr Stephan Bohm, Chief Medical Officer at
Swisstom AG. “Different-sized circuit boards are required for different
body girths. enmech produces these circuit boards and also equips
them with the electronic components required. This reduces electrical
interfaces and eliminates the need for complex electrode cabling.”
The quality of brazed joints is ensured by 100% automatic optical
inspection (AOI). An individually adapted electric end-of-line (EOL)
test ensures that the electronic systems function properly. The most
stringent hygiene requirements apply to the integration of the
flexible circuit board with the electrodes into the nonwoven fabric.
The EIT system with the SensorBelt may prove to be a life-saver
for many patients.
“The system has already been tested at various hospitals
throughout the world and the feedback has been extremely
positive,” says Bohm.
The Swisstom system provides measured data and images of
unprecedented quality, without any side effects or negative impact
on the patient.
“A world population that is both ageing and increasing will have
considerable impact on the health market,” says Dr Mohsen Sohi of
Freudenberg Group’s board. “We can play a key contribution in this
field with our materials competence and product solutions.”
Swisstom AG, headquartered in Landquart, Switzerland, develops
and manufactures medical devices to monitor the lung function of
Human sweat carries a significant amount of
valuable information about the state of the body
and scientists at several laboratories are
currently working to develop flexible wireless
sensors that are sensitive enough to detect a
biomolecule found in sweat within 9.5 million
litres (2.5 million) gallons of water.
“We are developing small wireless sensors for measuring
biological markers in sweat that affect our stress and energy levels,”
says Scott Miller, Lab Manager for Nanostructures and Surfaces at
GE Global Research. “We can do it with a blood test, but we’d like
to detect the early signs of stress and fatigue non-invasively from
sweat. The faster we can spot it, the earlier we can deal with it.”
Miller and his team are working with the University of
Massachusetts Amherst and the University of Cincinnati in Ohio,
USA, on the project, which is partially funded by the Nano-Bio
Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) and the US Air Force.
The body has two types of sweat glands—eccrine and appocrine.
It is the appocrine glands, which are located in areas such as the
armpits and the groin, that are active during stressful situations and
produce thicker, oil-like perspiration. Body odour comes from
bacteria feasting on this kind of sweat.
“Nanotechnology can manipulate matter on the level of atoms
and molecules and that’s why our receptors are so sensitive,” says
Materials Scientist Azar Alizadeh, who is on Miller’s team.
Receptors
The receptors inside the sensors attract the biomarkers and convert
them into electrical signals. The signals then travel wirelessly to a
database for storage and analysis.
“We are actually utilizing expertise in microfluidics that we
typically apply to manipulate and improve the airflow and efficiency
of our aircraft engines to direct the sweat over the sensor ever so
precisely,” explains Alizadeh. “We create pathways and valves in the
sensor itself to control where the sweat goes, so that we can get the
most accurate measurement.”
The target biomarkers include Orexin-A, which is a naturally
occurring neuropeptide hormone released by the hypothalamus in
the brain. It plays a crucial role in the stability of arousal and
alertness. Another target is the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol
level changes during the day, but with the device, Miller’s team can
get a dynamic reading and see in real time how a body responds
to stress.
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February 2015
A patch developed at the University of Cincinnati uses
paper microfluidics to wick sweat from the skin through a
membrane that selects for a specific ion, such as sodium.
Onboard circuitry calculates the ion concentration and
sends the data to a smartphone. The electronics within the
patch are externally powered, as in an RFID chip.
The advanced wearable device is lightweight and can be worn
during the day while active, and at night while sleeping. It has been
cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for
treatment of chronic pain without a prescription and users also have
the option of using a smartphone to automatically track and
personalize their pain therapy. The company expects Quell to be
available for purchase by consumers in the second quarter of 2015.
“Recent studies have shown that chronic nerve pain dramatically
reduces the quality of life of people with diabetes,” said NeuroMetrix
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shai N. Gozani. “We believe that Quell
may help many of these people reclaim their lives.”
Contact: Shai N. gozani, Chief Executive Officer,
NeuroMetrix. Tel: +1 (781) 314-2761.
[email protected];
http://www.nuerometrix.com
The Air Force is interested in using the sensors to monitor pilots
in order to understand and improve their performance, but the
technology could have much broader civilian applications.
“Physical and mental fatigue are factors for air traffic controllers,
fire fighters, heavy-equipment operators, and many other
professions,” Miller says. “The tiny sensors could also be useful in
healthcare. One day we could be analysing electrolytes, metabolites
and other molecular markers correlated with disease. We’re already
doing this with patient monitors in the hospital, but this technology
will cut the wires.”
Contact: Todd Alhart, gE global Research
Communications and Public Relations.
Tel: +1 (518) 387-7914.
[email protected]; http://www.ge.com
Stretch electronic ink
from DuPont
Relieving pain
with Quell
DuPont Microcircuit Materials (MCM) has
introduced a range of stretchable electronic ink
NeuroMetrix, based in Waltham, Massachusetts, materials for use in smart clothing applications
and other wearable electronics.
USA, demonstrated an over-the-counter
The materials provide a manufacturing-ready alternative to many
wearable pain relief device called Quell, at the
traditional methods of embedding electronics in clothing. The
2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las
DuPont materials have been used to create thin, form-fitting circuits
Vegas, Nevada, USA.
that can be seamlessly bonded with many standard fabrics, allowing
Quell utilizes the company’s proprietary non-invasive
neurostimulation technology to provide relief from chronic pain,
such as that caused by diabetes, sciatica, fibromyalgia and
degenerative knee conditions.
It employs transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation technology,
known as TENS, which is already employed medically, for example
to relieve pregnant women in labour. Once the passport-size device
is strapped to the back of the calf and enabled, it sends electrical
pulses to the nerves that signal the brain to release painrelieving opioids.
Opioids released during a Quell session (as with other TENS
products) do not come with the addictive euphoric feeling
pharmaceuticals often induce, the company asserts, so addiction is unlikely.
for comfort and freedom in wearable electronic design.
A working model of a biometric shirt that incorporates DuPont
electronic inks was on display for the first time during Printed Electronics
USA, in Santa Clara, California (19–20 November 2014).
“We believe that this new line of DuPont stretchable electronic
inks can be used in wearable electronics applications to make
clothing more capable and comfortable,” says Michael Burrows,
Segment Manager at DuPont MCM. “Imagine how smart athletic
wear could help contribute to healthier, more active lifestyles by
continuously monitoring vital information such as heart and
breathing rates, calories burned and even stress level.”
DuPont stretchable electronic inks deliver stable performance
despite repeated elongation. A third-party evaluation of fabrics that
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February 2015
Wearable technology:
a materials goldmine
In 2025 over US$25 billion will be spent on
formulations and intermediate materials for
wearable technology, according to analyst Dr
Peter Harrop of IDTechEx.
Companies at this early part of the value chain will enjoy a
multiplier over the coming decade, he believes, participating in a
rapidly growing market and taking a greater percentage of it as some
incorporate these DuPont materials to create thin electronic circuits other parts of the value chain are eliminated.
have shown them to be washable, durable and capable of
“This is not because e-fibres will be used to create e-textiles from
withstanding up to 100 wash cycles. They can also be used in many
bandages to apparel,” says Harrop. “That is a longer-term prospect.
common manufacturing processes to produce smart clothing,
Instead, it is a matter of making today’s devices differently. They
including fitness and outerwear, without significant investment.
need to be made smaller, flexible, more comfortable, often invisibly
DuPont plans to offer a full material range of conductors,
hidden in or under clothing or transparent. Other items in the wish
encapsulants and sensors for use in wearable electronics
list will sometimes include being implantable, disposable and a
applications, including:
frequent request is that they should never be short of electricity.
• DuPont PE872 stretchable conductor with encapsulation, which
“Indeed, power running out after a few hours – a common
is washable;
inadequacy today – can be life-threatening with exoskeletons and
• DuPont PE772 a stretchable, washable dielectric encapsulant.
medical e-patches, and dangerous with planned glucose-indicating
The growing portfolio of DuPont MCM electronic inks is used in
contact lenses and wristbands for severe diabetics.
many applications, including forming conductive traces, capacitor and
resistor elements, and dielectric and encapsulating layers that are
Structural materials
compatible with many substrate surfaces including polymer, glass
In most cases, the only way forward is to abandon the 100-year-old
and ceramic.
‘components in a box’ approach of almost all manufacturers of
Contact: Noelle Hagen, DuPont MCM.
wearable technology today, Harrop asserts in the latest IDTechEx
Tel: +1 (919) 248-5062.
report, Wearable Technology Materials 2015-2025.
[email protected];
Instead, structural electronics will be employed and smart
http://www.dupont.com
materials are key—which is good news for manufacturers of
electronic and electrically functional materials that can be made into
structures using those increasingly crucial intermediate materials.
The industry needs to prioritize and de-risk its future investments,
and the report finds large opportunities for organics, inorganics and
composites. It tackles prioritization in different ways. First it looks at
which materials are low-risk because they are useful in many
different ways. Polyvinylidene difluoride, for example, is a “gymnast of
chemicals” electrically. It and its derivatives can be electret
microphone, ferroelectric memory, piezoelectric energy harvester
and much more besides.
Three-dimensional Printing
Three-dimensional
metals, stone and wood
Entirely new forms of composites are likely to arise
from the latest developments in materials for
three-dimesnional (3D) printing introduced by
MakerBot, at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show
(CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (6–9 January).
Formulations
IDTechEx also looks at the prevalence of different formulations that
are being used in planned integrated devices for the future. For
example, there is great interest in lithium, indium and titanium salts
across a broad sweep of functions. III-V compounds feature strongly
in next-generation products such as flexible displays and
photovoltaics for low-light conditions. Carbon allotropes are being
very broadly researched for wearables and allied markets but there
is not much on C60 buckyballs. Graphene is of more interest for
future batteries, supercapacitors, flexible displays etc.
There are also many niche opportunities for smaller players such
as those specializing in the chemistry of tungsten or tantalum, where
many new uses are emerging. Similarly, although fluorocarbons have
large potential, there are plenty of niche opportunities for other
organics and some of these are very big ones. IDTechEx believes that
The company is introducing polylactic acid (PLA) composite
filaments made with composites of real metal, stone and wood that
provide realistic and highly stabilized materials for the latestgeneration MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers.
The new filaments are said to bring 3D printing closer to the look
of a finished product, yet retain the non-toxic and ease-of-use
properties that make PLA such a popular 3D printing material. The
new MakerBot Replicator Smart Extruder has been specifically
developed to match these new materials.
Contact: Jenifer Howard, MakerBot.
Tel: +1 (347) 676-3932.
[email protected]; http://www.makerbot.com
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February 2015
many new morphologies and formats are needed from electronic
printing inks to metal feedstock for the new higher-speed, lower-cost
3D printing. These challenges with the new formulations identified
reduce competition and open-up opportunities for premium pricing.
Contact: Dr Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx.
Tel: +44 (1223) 812300.
[email protected]; http://www.IDTechEx.com
Smart Fabrics
£2.8 million for UK smart
fabrics development
Researchers from Nottingham Trent
University’s Advanced Textiles Research
group (ATRg) and University of Southampton’s
Electronics and Computer Science (ECS) in the
UK are to receive £2.8 million to further develop
new manufacturing methods for
wearable technology.
Printed Electronics
The project is one of 10 to receive a slice of a £20 million funding
pot from the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC).
The project will allow ATRG to continue work on embedding
electronics – light-emitting diodes (LEDs), sensors and microcontrollers – directly into yarns that can then be made into any
number of products, from clothes to car seats.
ATRG plans to improve its product by making the yarns even finer,
allowing the production of items such as shirts with built-in, invisible
sensors, micro-controllers and communication devices. It can now
also develop the machinery it needs to begin a medium-scale
manufacturing unit for the fibre electronics.
Developer’s kit for
three-diemensional
electronics launched
Functionality
“I believe that fibre electronics will initiate a second industrial
revolution in textiles,” says Professor Tilak Dias, who heads-up
ATRG. “We are confident we have developed the platform
technology for future electronic textiles, and this project will build
on the results gained to date by ourselves and ECS in order to
revolutionize the way that smart and interactive textiles are
produced. The end-result will offer a greater level of functionality
The company has also partnered with software company Autodesk, that is far beyond the state-of-the-art.”
headquartered in San Rafael, California, to develop a new design tool
Currently the group works with electronic components in the
called Project Wire for creating 3D electronic devices printed on the
form of packaged dies. Now, however, it wants to work with a
Voxel8 machine. This will enable designers and engineers to create 3D stripped-down bare die that would allow it to make yarns that
parts with embedded circuitry for the first time.
are 0.2 mm in diameter rather than the current 0.9 mm it can
“We are excited to work with companies like Voxel8, because they
already produce. It will also mean more complex circuits can be
are really pushing the boundaries of what 3D printing is capable of, and made, which will improve the variety of functions the fibres
by incorporating conductive inks directly into 3D printing process, we
can perform.
can start to create things that have function after they are printed,” said
A range of partners have identified the huge potential of the work
Jeff Kowalski, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Autodesk.
and are supporting it to the value of a further £430 000. These
The Voxel8 developer’s kit will include the desktop 3D
include Stretchline, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
electronics printer, conductive ink cartridges, polylactic acid (PLA)
(DSTL), Speedo, BSN Medical, Royal Centre for Defence Medicine,
filament, modleling software and software support. The printer
International Automotive Components, Plessey Semiconductors,
allows dual material capabilities by combining a fused filament
Urgo, the Centre for Process Innovation and MediCity.
fabrication (FFF) printhead with a conductive silver ink printhead.
“Working with academia and industry to support game-changing
“Voxel8 builds on over a decade of research, which has led to 17
manufacturing projects like these is at the heart of the government’s
patents (10 issued) on functional materials, printheads, and other
industrial strategy,” said the UK’s Business Secretary Vince Cable.
processes for 3D printing, from my lab,” said Dr Jennifer A. Lewis,
“By supporting the jump from the manufacturing lab to the market
Voxel8 founder and Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering place, we are driving innovation, creating valuable new jobs and
at Harvard University. “Our work provides the foundation for Voxel8’s
delivering economic growth that will secure the UK's global
effort to revolutionize multi-material 3D printing. To realize our vision,
leadership for decades to come.”
we have recruited a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in the
Contact: Professor Tilak Dias, Advanced Textiles Research
advanced materials, precision hardware, intelligent software and design.” group, Nottingham Trent University.
Contact: Daniel Oliver, Voxel8. Tel: +1 (916) 396-3714.
Tel: +44 (1158) 486518. [email protected];
[email protected]; http://www.voxel8.co
http://www.ntu.ac.uk
Voxel8, based in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA,
has created the world’s first multi-material
three-dimensional (3D) electronics printer and
announced the pre-order availability of an initial
developer’s kit priced at US$8999.
7
February 2015
Nanoﬁbres
Nanofibre media
from PgI
Polymer group Inc (PgI) has introduced Everist
brand filtration media as a nanofibre-based
technology that offers enhanced mechanical
efficiency, low pressure drop and excellent dirtholding capacity to companies in heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) or
other industries reliant on highefficiency filtration media.
Everist is said to outperform traditional mechanical media in
multiple key areas including:
• the media provides a higher initial efficiency and the same
mechanical efficiency as glass, while providing the same initial
efficiency and a higher discharge efficiency compared
with synthetics;
• the nanofibre technology provides half the pressure drop of glass
media and is similar to electrostatically charged synthetics;
• Everist doubles the dirt-holding capacity of synthetic composites
and has a similar capacity to glass. It pleats on both rotary and
blade pleaters and can be sonically welded. It is both more durable
than glass and greener than traditional media.
The launch of Everist represents the culmination of recent
investments at PGI’s plant in Waynesboro, Virginia, USA.
Contact: Catherine Fyfe, Marketing Communications, PgI.
Tel: +44 (1621) 874273.
[email protected];
http://www.polymergroupinc.com
Nanocoatings
graphene
Elicarb graphene expansion New funding for C3Nano
C3Nano, based in Hayward, California, USA, has
at Thomas Swan
raised US$12 million in Series C funding led by
The UK’s Thomas Swan has started-up a new
integrated pilot line for the manufacture of
Elicarb graphene products.
Nagase America Corp and a yet-to-be disclosed
large-cap global industrial company.
C3Nano is the developer of Active-grid, a nano-based, solutioncoatable transparent conductive material marketed as a substitute
for indium tin oxide (ITO).
ITO is one of the most widely used transparent conducting oxides
because of its two chief properties – its electrical conductivity and
optical transparency – as well as the ease with which it can be
deposited as a thin film. As with all transparent conducting films,
however, a compromise must be made between conductivity and
transparency, since increasing the thickness and increasing the
concentration of charge carriers will increase the material’s
conductivity, but decrease its transparency.
C3Nano materials have been proven to be more durable,
mechanically stronger and more robust than ITO and no sputtering
is required. They can be coated onto any substrate including glass,
and flexible plastic films.
The company’s conductive inks are formulated for high
performance and superior mechanical properties for flexible, foldable
and even stretchable electronic displays and devices. When coated
onto plastic or elastomeric substrates, the films are capable of
handling several thousand flexing cycles at greater than 50% strain.
Depending on the application and manufacturing requirements,
C3Nano’s transparent, conductive materials can be patterned via
standard photolithography or printed directly onto a substrate,
The plant is capable of producing 1kg per day of high-quality, fewlayer graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) by the liquid exfoliation of
graphite raw materials. It will provide a reliable supply of prototyping
materials and further support the development of graphene-based
applications for customers.
“This is an exciting time for our business as interest in [research and
development] R&D quantities of Elicarb has been high,” says Andy
Goodwin, Commercial Director of the Thomas Swan Advanced
Materials Division.“We now have the ability to provide larger quantities
and work more closely with our customers on development of graphene
technologies. The line also gives us the opportunity to optimize our unit
operations for our next scale-up step, which we are already planning.”
Elicarb graphene products are manufactured by a proprietary
liquid exfoliation process that was developed in collaboration with
Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and produces high conductivity,
few-layer GNPs with average X-Y dimensions of 1 micron. Currently
Elicarb is available as powder or dispersions and additional products
will be available in 2015.
Contact: Andy goodwin, Commercial Director,
Thomas Swan.Tel: +44 (1207) 505131.
[email protected];
http://www.thomas-swan.co.uk
8
February 2015
eliminating costly, time-consuming and environmentally unfriendly
process steps.
The materials can be used with existing roll-coating or other
production equipment so there are no capital equipment expenses
and barriers to adoption are low.
The company plans to use the new funding to expand its
manufacturing capacity and also to support research and
development (R&D) in relation to several complementary advanced
materials and new products.
“With Nagase’s leading position in the display and touch panel
industry, and the deep background and operations of our undisclosed
industrial partner, we see a clear path to expanding our reach into
key markets and regions, so we are excited about deepening these
relationships with our strategic investors,” said Cliff Morris, C3Nano
Chief Executive Officer (CEO). “Their investments demonstrate a
great vote of confidence in our technology and our people, and we’re
looking forward to working closely with both companies.”
Contact: Missy Bindseil, C3Nano.
Tel: +1 830-237-9527.
[email protected]; http://c3nano.com
team. “We would be happy to adapt the fibre exactly to the demands
of other applications depending on customer-specific needs. In the past,
individual development partnerships have oft-proven very fruitful.”
Contact: Matthew North, Commercial Director Kelheim
Fibres gmbH. Tel: +49 (9441) 99-368.
[email protected];
http://www. kelheim-fibres.com
Smart Fabrics
Smart Fibres
Encapsulated infrared
fibre from Kelheim
NovaBone promotes
new growth
Kelheim Fibres, based in Kelheim, germany, has
developed a viscose fibre that reflects infrared
(IR) radiation.
The NovaBone Bioactive Strip is a new bone
graft composed of purified fibrillar collagen and
resorbable bioactive synthetic morsels being
introduced to the market by Novabone
Products, based in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.
The human body – like any other matter with comparable
temperature – releases a large part of its energy via thermal
radiation. This radiation is mainly composed of IR light. It leads to a
loss of energy and therefore to a cooling of the human body.
Kelheim says the newly developed viscose fibre with incorporated
IR-reflecting particles can significantly reduce this process because
thermal radiation emanating from a body is reflected by the
particles incorporated in the fibre and sent back to the body,
reducing cooling.
In addition to this thermal retention function, the wearer of such a
textile also benefits from the typical properties of a viscose fibre
such as wearer comfort, softness and skin-friendliness. This is
achieved by the intrinsic quality of the treatment – in contrast to a
subsequent finish with additives based on titanium oxide, the mineral
IR-reflecting particles are incorporated into the fibre’s core,
preserving the typical fibre properties. The effect is permanent as
the additive cannot be washed out.
First test results have already been successfully manufactured on a
pilot scale and show significant temperature effects in comparison
with a standard viscose fibre. This opens-up a multitude of possible
fields of applications. Used in functional underwear, the thermal
effect can increase the well-being of the wearer even at low
temperatures. In functional sportswear, the new fibre can lead to
improved performance and a faster regeneration of the athlete,
thanks to improved blood circulation. Together with textiles,
different nonwoven applications could benefit from the IR-reflecting
fibre, such as warming shoe inserts.
“Comfortable feel-good clothes and functional special clothing are
just two obvious applications for our new IR fibre,” said Dr Nina
Köhne of the Kelheim Fibres’ Research and Development (R&D)
Its open structure allows for rapid vascularization and
mineralization, and permits complete device absorption and
replacement by new bone. The compression-resistant, formable and
mouldable bone graft creates a highly osteoconductive matrix for
new bone growth. The strip’s optimal composition and pore size is
designed to mimic cancellous bone.
“Last September, we announced the launch of the MacroFORM
packable graft and MacroFORM composite, both designed to be
hydrated with bone marrow aspirate and then moulded into a puttytype format as the first of a new bioactive collagen line designed for
use in orthopaedic surgeries,” said Art Wotiz, President of
NovaBone Products. “We feel the strip will be well-received because
of its ability to absorb and retain bone marrow aspirate while being
easy to handle and place.”
The strip consists of 95% bioglass dispersed in a collagen matrix in
a preformed shape that is cross-linked using a proprietary process
avoiding the use of aldehydes, alleviating any concern of residual
aldehyde contamination. After hydration with bone marrow aspirate,
the device retains its shape even after manipulation.
NovaBone Products was established in 2002 with a focus on
developing bone graft substitutes based on advancements in
biomedical engineering that would meet the specialized needs of
orthopaedic and dental surgeons.
It has developed numerous formulations and delivery systems of
its patented, bioactive technology platform that result in accelerated
bone growth. In total, its bone graft substitute has been used for the
9
February 2015
applications we’re thinking of involve manufacturing robots that lift
large glass panels or liquid-crystal displays. We’re also working on a
project with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to apply these to the
robotic arms of spacecraft that could gently latch on to orbital space
debris, such as fuel tanks and solar panels, and move it to an orbital
graveyard or pitch it towards Earth to burn up.”
Previous work on synthetic and gecko adhesives showed that
adhesive strength decreased as the size increased. In contrast, the
engineers have shown that the special springs in their device make it
possible to maintain the same adhesive strength at all sizes from a
square millimetre to the size of a human hand.
The current version of the device can support about 90 kg (200
pounds), and theoretically its size and effectiveness could be
increased ten-fold.
Contact: Mark R. Cutkosky, Fletcher Jones II Professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
Stanford University.
Tel: +1 (650) 450-0589
[email protected];
http://www.stanford.edu
repair of osseous defects throughout the skeletal system for over a
decade and used in over a million clinical applications.
Contact: Dennis McBride, Vice President of Sales and
Marketing, NovaBone. Tel: +1 (908) 287-2284.
[email protected]; http://www.novabone.com
Smart Materials
Climbing the walls
at Stanford
The extraordinary ability of the gecko to form a
strong bond with smooth surfaces with its toes
and then release them with minimal effort is
well known, but the downside of gecko-inspired
adhesives to date has been that making them on
a larger scale reduces their effectiveness.
Smart Fabrics
Researchers at Stanford University believe they are on the way to
overcoming this problem in the development of a new synthetic
adhesive that can share large loads very evenly and can create
sufficient adhesion to allow a person wearing ‘gecko gloves’ to climb
a glass wall.
The adhesive climbing devices have been developed by
researchers at Mark Cutkosky’s Biomimetics and Dextrous
Manipulation Lab. Each hand-held gecko pad is covered with 24
adhesive tiles covered with sawtooth-shaped polymer structures
each 100 µm in length.
The pads are connected to special degressive springs, which
become less stiff the further they are stretched. This characteristic
means that when the springs are pulled upon, they apply an identical
force to each adhesive tile and cause the sawtooth-like structures
to flatten.
“When the pad first touches the surface, only the tips touch, so
it’s not sticky,” says Eric Eason, a graduate student in applied physics
working on the development. “But when the load is applied, and the
wedges turn over and come into contact with the surface, that
creates the adhesion force. As with actual geckos, the adhesives can
be turned on and off. You simply release the load tension, and the
pad loses its stickiness. It can attach and detach with very little
wasted energy.”
“The ability of the device to scale-up controllable adhesion to
support large loads makes it attractive for several applications
beyond human climbing,” adds Mark Cutkosky. “Some of the
Funding for
advanced Ebola suit
An advanced protective suit for healthcare
workers incorporating technology originally
developed for cooling patients in cardiac arrest
has been developed by a research team at Johns
Hopkins University and non-profit health
organization Jhpiego.
It has been selected for federal funding by the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) through its new programme,
Fighting Ebola: A Grand Challenge for Development.
The suit is designed to do a better job than current garments in
keeping healthcare workers from coming in contact with the
contagious body fluids of Ebola patients, both during treatment and
while removing a soiled suit. In addition, it is expected to keep the
wearer cooler – an important benefit in hot, humid regions such as
West Africa.
Enhancements include a large clear visor in the hood, which is
integrated into the suit, air vents in the hood, a rear zip to reduce
infection risks while removing the garment, a cocoon-style doffing
process that requires far fewer steps than existing garments and a
small battery-powered, dry air source to cool the user by blowing
air into the hood.
“The funding from USAID will support moving our concepts into
fully functional prototypes,” said Youseph Yazdi, Executive Director
of the university’s Centre for Bioengineering Innovation and Design
(CBID). “This will allow the team to do more detailed evaluations of
our concepts, and quickly move to evaluations in the field. By the
end of the funded timeline, we will have a product design that is
ready to be taken-up by a major manufacturer, or several, for largescale production and distribution. Our goal is to follow the fastest
path to get these concepts into the field and having an impact.”
Contact: Phil Sneiderman, John Hopkins University.
Tel: +1 (443) 997-9907.
[email protected]; http://www.jhu.edu
10
February 2015
Diary of Events
FEBRUARY 2015
5–8 February
ISPO Munich
Munich, Germany.
Messe München GmbH.
Tel: +49 (89) 949-11388. Fax: +49 (89) 949-11389.
[email protected]
http://www.ispo.com
11–13 May
Smart Fabrics & Wearable Technology
San Francisco, California, USA.
Stephanie Whitman, Marketing, Smithers Apex.
Tel: +1 (207) 781-9616.
[email protected]
http://www.smartfabricsconference.com
JULY 2015
2–4 July
ISPO Shanghai
Shanghai, China.
Corinna Feicht, Messe München.
Tel: +49 (89) 949-21477.
[email protected]
http://www.ispo.com
MARCH 2015
4–5 March
Nonwovens for High-performance Applications
Cannes, France.
Jill Gwinnutt, International Newsletters Ltd.
Tel: +44 (870) 165-7210. Fax: +44 (870) 165-7212.
[email protected]
http://www.intnews.com/nhpa
4–11 July
Nanotexnology 2015
Thessaloniki, Greece.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Tel: +30 (2310) 998091.
[email protected]
http://www.nanotexnology.com
31 March–1 April
Expo Hightex and Advanced Workwear Canada
Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada.
Aldjia Begriche, CTT Group.
Tel: +1 (450) 778-1870. Fax: +1 (450) 778-3901.
[email protected]
http://www.gcttg.com
APRIL 2015
9–11 April
Technotex 2015
Mumbai, India.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry.
Tel: +91 (11) 2348-7579. Fax: +91 (11) 2335-9734.
[email protected]
http://www.technotexindia.in
SEPTEMBER 2015
11–13 September
Hightex 2015
Istanbul, Turkey.
Teknik Fairs Ltd Co.
Tel: +90 (212) 876-7506.
Fax: +90 (212) 876-0681.
[email protected]
http://www.hightex2015.com
MAY 2015
4–7 May
Techtextil
Frankfurt, Germany.
Michael Jänecke, Messe Frankfurt GmbH.
Tel: +49 (69) 7575-6710. Fax: +49 (69) 7575-6541.
[email protected]
http://www.messefrankfurt.com
16–18 September
Dornbirn Man-Made Fibers Congress
Dornbirn, Austria.
Austrian Man-Made Fibers Institute.
Tel: +43 (1) 319-2909-40.
Fax: +43 (1) 319-2909-31.
[email protected]
http://www.dornbirn-mfc.com
Editor: Adrian Wilson
Editorial Office
Tel: +44 (870) 165-7211
Fax: +44 (870) 165-7212
[email protected]
Published by International Newsletters Ltd,
44 Friar Street, Droitwich Spa, WR9 8ED, UK.
Smart Textiles and Nanotechnology is published in 12 issues a year
and online at http://www.technical-textiles.net
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International Newsletters Ltd,
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11
February 2015
Electronic Textiles
First piezoelectric fabrics
Teijin is introducing the world’s first
piezoelectric fabrics for wearable devices based
on polylactic acid (PLA) and carbon fibres.
They have been developed with Professor Yoshiro Tajitsu of
the Faculty of Engineering Science at Kansai University and
comprise a piezoelectric poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) and carbon fibre
electrode. Plain-, twill- and satin-weave versions serve different
applications—the plain weave detects bending, the satin weave
twisting and the twill weave three-dimensional (3D) motion, as well
as bending and twisting.
The sensing function, which can detect arbitrary displacement or
directional changes, incorporates Teijin’s weaving and knitting
technologies and allows fabric to be applied to the actuator or
sensor to detect complicated movements—even in
three dimensions.
Kansai University and Teijin will continue working on ideal weaves
and knits for fabric applications that enable elaborate human actions
to be monitored simply via clothing worn. Piezoelectricity is the
ability of certain dielectric materials to generate an electric charge in
response to mechanical stress. It also has the opposite effect—the
application of electric voltage produces mechanical strain in the
materials. Both of these effects can be measured, making
piezoelectric materials effective for both sensors and actuators.
Contact: Nana Saito, Corporate Communications,
Teijin. Tel: +81 (3) 3506-4055.
[email protected]; http://www.teijin.co.jp
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