Smart fabrics can detect and protect against harmful gases

Scientists from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire are developing smart fabrics that can detect the presence of toxic gases and protect the wearer from their effects.

Known as SOFT, the fabric is flexible and conductive, non-porous, and washable. According to the Dartmouth team, it is capable of real-time gas detection. It is intended to be worn by military and emergency services personnel in conjunction with a haz-mat suit.

This fabric also has the ability to capture and filter dangerous toxins.

“By adding this fabric to a protective suit, sensors in the fabric could alert the user if a certain chemical is entering the material and causing a hazard,” said Katherine Mirica, assistant professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College.

"In addition, the fabric can also proactively alert the user if there are tears or defects in the fabric, or if performance is reduced for any other reason."

This smart fabric works by using electronic sensors woven from materials known as metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs.

In their study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Dartmouth team said the material could detect the pollutant nitrogen oxide, as well as toxic hydrogen sulfide and other corrosive substances. The researchers say the fabric can not only detect toxic gases, but also capture and filter out dangerous toxins.

Although the technology requires further development before it can be used in wearable systems, the researchers believe that this potential fabrication method could be extended to other systems, creating a range of new smart textiles with magical, automatically-identified features.

According to Khoahoc.tv