Graphene smart textiles developed for heat adaptive clothing
Scientists from the National Graphene Institute at the UK’s University of Manchester have created a prototype garment to demonstrate dynamic thermal radiation control within a piece of clothing, which uses the thermal properties and flexibility of graphene.
The research suggests applications in textiles such as interactive infrared displays, “covert infrared communication” and smart adaptive clothing that can lower the body temperature of the wearer in hot climates.
Research published the paper Graphene-Enabled Adaptive Infrared Textiles, published in the journal Nano Letters, “demonstrates that the smart optical textile technology can change its thermal visibility” and shows how graphene layers control thermal radiation from textile surfaces.
“The successful demonstration of the modulation of optical properties on different forms of textile can leverage the ubiquitous use of fibrous architectures and enable new technologies operating in the infrared and other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum for applications including textile displays, communication, adaptive space suits, and fashion,” according to Coskun Kocabas, a professor on the research team.
