Electronic Cotton

So far this resembles a solution in search of a problem.  One wonders just how such a product would survive the normal hostile operating conditions imposed by humanity.  We are rough on our fabrics because we use them as protection in the first place.  Do you recall the last time you bumped into the door or chair or the wall etc.?  Clothing is why we are not covered with bruises and abrasions to begin with.

Otherwise we remain uninspired and wait to be impressed with this effort.  Maybe it will lead to a thin skin that covers the whole and at least provides temperature control.  What I really would like to see is an organic layer capable of consuming our waste materials in their entirety. Recall our skin a major waste removal organ.  That alone would be important.

Inasmuch as all our waste once dehydrated is light, it is not quite the tall order it appears on first glance.

All this leads nicely to skin suits for operating in real hostile conditions such as Space or Mars.

Conductive cotton: scientists fashioning electronic future for cotton fiber

 OCTOBER 29, 2011

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/10/conductive-cotton-scientists-fashioning.html

The latest breakthrough in cotton fiber research has scientists envisioninghospital gowns that monitor medical patients and jerseys that test athletic performance, according to Cornell University fiber scientist Juan Hinestroza, co-author of a new study that reveals how everyday cotton can be turned into high-tech fabric.

The innovation represents a significant step forward because it lays the groundwork for creating even more complex devices, such as cotton-based circuits, Hinestroza said. This would allow fabrics to sense body temperature, automatically heat up or cool down, track heart rate and blood pressure in high-risk patients, and monitor the physical effort of high-performance athletes.

“Perhaps one day we can even build computers out of cotton fibers in a similar way as khipus – a recording device based on knots and used by the Inca empire in Peru,” Hinestroza added.

Organic Electronics - Organic electronics on natural cotton fibres

Nanoscale modification of natural cotton fibres with conformal coatings of gold nanoparticles, deposition of thin layers of the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxithiophene) (PEDOT) and a combination of these two processes were employed to increase conductivity of plain cotton yarns. This innovative approach was especially designed to fabricate two classes of devices: passive devices such as resistors obtained from electrically conductive cotton yarns, and two types of active devices, namely organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) and organic field effect transistors (OFETs). The detailed electrical and mechanical analysis we performed on treated cotton yarns revealed that they can be used as conductors still maintaining a good flexibility. This study opens an avenue for real integration between organic electronics and traditional textile technology and materials.

In the study, the first step was aimed at creating a conformal layer of gold nanoparticles over the rough topography of cotton. The next layers were either conductive or semiconductive coatings; the final step was to build the devices. “The layers were so thin that the flexibility of the cotton fibers was preserved,” Hinestroza said.

Two kinds of active transistors, organic electrochemical transistors and organic field effect transistors, were also demonstrated. Both kinds are widely used in the electronics industry as components of integrated circuits, which control the functions of such common devices as phones, televisions and game consoles.