Fiber based Fabric Sensors

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Proposal 1509043 Proposal Title: Fiber based Fabric Sensors Project Goals: This proposal aims to develop computational model supported benchtop and wearable impedance characterization tools to investigate sensory capabilities of co-extruded multicomponent fibers in a woven fabric structure for biomedical monitoring applications. a) Nontechnical Abstract: The U.S. textiles industry can only remain competitive by engaging in technologies that employ advanced materials for emerging smart textiles. A novel method was proposed to engineer electronic sensing functionalities into textiles at one or more of the hierarchical levels of molecules, fibers, yarns, or fabrics. The woven interlacement eliminates the need for conventional lithography, which is neither scalable to large areas nor compatible with textile manufacturing. Therefore, a fundamentally translational and transformative manufacturing method was proposed for numerous biomedical sensing needs where the limitations imposed by substrate size for processing in conventional semiconductor- and cleanroom-based sensors are potentially obviated and a very attractive possibility of low cost roll-to-roll processing of very large-area flexible sensor systems open up. Beyond its impact on economy and healthcare, the project will be used to design hands on modules for high school and college students, especially from underrepresented minority communities, and their educators to attract attention to wearable electronic textile systems by (i) learning cutting-edge methods used in fabrication and testing of Fiber-based Active Sensory Textiles, and (ii) developing design and problem-solving skills to generate and analyze the sensory response described herein. These students will be prepared to lead new research to drive the commercial development of electronic textiles, which promise much-needed economic and employment benefits as commodity textiles are increasingly manufactured off-shore. b) Technical Abstract: Electronic textiles have attracted considerable scientific and commercial interest recently. While initial efforts were targeting wearable computing applications, the recent focus has been towards integration of sensing. A practical, effective, and inconspicuous means to introduce desired electrical characteristics is at the fiber level, where processes that are compatible to textiles could be used. To enable textile based sensing, under this project, the use of highly ordered segments of conducting and insulating materials in the fiber cross-sectional structure will be investigated. The unobtrusive integration of electronic sensing capabilities while preserving all desirable ?textile? qualities requires fundamental electrical and mechanical understanding of the hierarchical nature of textile structures and their unique methods of assembly. In particular, the use of multicomponent fibers extruded from commercially available thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers will be explored in a wide variety of mechanical and rheological property combinations as the base polymer. The controllability of the proposed methods of fabrication, melt extrusion and weaving enables the readily adaptation and testing of co-extruded multicomponent fibers to the general development of conformable Fiber-based Active Sensory Textiles based health-monitoring systems