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new process, developed by Dr Felice cotton," explains Dr Torrisi. Co-author Professor
ATorrisi at the Cambridge Graphene Chaoxia Wang of Jiangnan University adds:
Centre (CGC) and his collaborators at the "This method will allow us to put electronic
Jiangnan University, is a low-cost, systems directly into clothes. It's an incredible
sustainable and environmentally-friendly enabling technology for smart textiles."
method for making electro conductive
cotton textiles by impregnating them with According to the researchers, a wearable strain
a graphene-based conductive ink. The sensor created using a graphene-coated smart
adhesion of the modified graphene to the cotton textile, has been shown to detect up to
cotton fibre is similar to the way cotton 500 motion cycles reliably after more than 10
holds coloured dyes, and allows the fabric washing machine cycles. Smart clothes are a
to remain conductive even after several highly promising field of development, where
washes. everything from health monitors to LED displays
are integrated into clothes.
Although numerous researchers around the
world have developed wearable sensors, Integrating tech into clothes have created all
most of the technologies rely on rigid sorts of new smart textiles. For example,
electronic components mounted on flexible researchers have developed clothing that
materials such as plastic films or textiles. contains sensors to measure heart rate,
These offer limited compatibility with the breathing rate, and all sorts of bio-indicators.
skin, are damaged when washed and are There have also been a spate of electricity-
uncomfortable to wear because they are generating clothing. These textiles integrate
not breathable. "Other conductive inks are photo voltaic material or motion-gathering
made from precious metals such as silver, generators into the fabric, to one day give you
which makes them very expensive to the ability to charge your phone or power a Electron microscope image of a
produce and not sustainable, whereas device using your clothes. conductive graphene/cotton fabric
graphene is both cheap, environmentally-
friendly, and chemically compatible with

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