Introduction:

An electronic textile is a fabric capable of conducting electricity. When combined with electronic components, it can sense changes in its environment and respond by emitting light, sound, or radio waves. Electronic textiles (e-textiles) are fabrics that incorporate electronics and interconnections within their structure. These components are an integral part of the fabric, making them less visible and less susceptible to tangling or snagging on the surroundings. An electronic textile refers to a textile substrate that includes capabilities for sensing (biometric or environmental), communication (usually wireless), power transmission, and interconnection technology, enabling sensors or information processing devices to be networked within the fabric. Electronic textiles enable small-scale computation to occur on the body and typically contain conductive yarns, either spun or twisted, incorporating some conductive material (such as silver or stainless steel strands) for electrical conductivity.

Definition:

E-textiles, also known as electronic textiles or smart textiles, are fabrics that can embed digital components, including small computers and electronics.

Properties of e-textile:

Flexibility
No wires to snag on the environment
Large surface area for sensing
Invisibility to others
Cost-effective manufacturing
Permeability
Strength
Thermal resistance
Electrical resistance

Types of e-textile:

The field of e-textiles can be divided into two main types:

E-textiles with classical electronic devices such as conductors, integrated circuits, LEDs, and conventional batteries embedded into garments.

E-textiles with electronics integrated directly into the textile substrates. This can include either passive electronics such as conductors and resistors or active components like transistors, diodes, and solar cells.

Most research and commercial e-textile projects are hybrids, where electronic components embedded in the textile are connected to classical electronic devices or components. Some examples include touch buttons constructed entirely in textile forms using conductive textile weaves, which are then connected to devices like music players or LEDs mounted on woven conducting fiber networks to create displays. Printed sensors for both physiological and environmental monitoring have been integrated into various textiles, including cotton, Gore-Tex, and neoprene.

Explanation:


Manufacturing of E-Textiles:


A thread can be made to conduct electricity by either coating it with metals like copper or silver. It can also be made conductive by combining cotton or nylon fibers with metal fibers when it is spun.


Inputs for e-textiles:


To obtain information for wearable devices components such as sensors are often used, for instance, environmental sensors, antennas, global positioning system receivers, sound sensors and cameras. Such sensors can be divided on active and passive (Langenhove & Hertleer, 2004)(Seymour, 2009). Active inputs are controlled by a user via a tactile or acoustic feedback system, which provides an intuitive interaction with the garment. Passive inputs collect biometric data from the human body as well as environmental data collected via wireless transmission system.


Construction of E-Textiles:

  • Lily Pad Arduino
  • Fabric kit
  • Aniomagic
  • Flora
  1. Conductive fabrics and textiles are plated or woven with metallic elements such as silver, nickel, tin, copper, and aluminum these are: electro-nylon, electr-onylon nickel, clear-mesh, soft-mesh, electro-lycra and steel-cloth. All these textiles show amazing electrical properties, with low surface resistance15, which can be used for making flexible and soft electrical circuits within garments or other products, pressure and position-sensing systems. They are lightweight, flexible, durable, soft and washable (some) and can be sewn like traditional textiles, which makes them a great replacement for wires in computational garments.

  2. Conductive threads and yarns have a similar purpose to wires and that is to create conductive paths from one point to another. However, unlike wires they are flexible and can be sewn, woven or embroidered onto textile, allowing for soft circuits to be created. Conductive threads and yarns offer alternative ways of connecting electronics on soft and flexible textiles medium as well offering traditional textile manufacturing techniques for creating computational garments.

  3. Conductive coatings are used to convert traditional textiles into electrically conductive materials. The coatings can be applied to different types of traditional fibers, yarns and fabrics, without changing their flexibility, density and handling.

  4. Conductive ink is an ink that conducts electricity, providing new ways of printing or drawing circuits. This special ink can be applied to textile and other substrates. Conductive inks contain powdered metals such as carbon, copper or silver mixed with traditional inks.

Other materials are:

  • Shape memory alloys (SMA or muscle wire)
  • Piezoelectric materials
  • Chromic materials
  • Photo-chromic (inks and dyes)
  • Thermo-chromic inks
  • Nano-materials and microfibers


Advancement:


Some of the most advanced functions that have been demonstrated in the lab include:

  • Organic fiber transistors: The first textile fiber transistor that is completely compatible with textile manufacturing and that contains no metals at all.
  • Organic solar cells on fibers


Applications:


The use of fabric as station to deploy electrical components results in wearable electrical/ computing devices.


This article was originally published in Textile learner blog run by Mazharul Islam Kiron.