IIT Guwahati develops self-cleaning, flexible heating fabric
Guwahati: Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati researchers have developed a water-repellent, conductive textile that converts electricity and sunlight into heat.
Designed to keep wearers warm in cold environments, this innovation addresses the serious health risks posed by prolonged exposure to very low temperatures, including haemoconcentration-based arterial blood clotting, breathing difficulties, and weakened immunity.
The findings of this research have been published in the journal, Nano-Micro-Small, in a paper co-authored by Prof. Uttam Manna, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, along with his research team, Debasmita Sarkar, Haydar Ali, Rajan Singh, Anirban Phukan, Chittaranjan Mishra, and Prof.
Roy P. Paily from Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
Extreme cold temperatures can lead to health problems that can even be fatal.
Studies indicate that deaths due to extreme cold outnumber those caused by extreme heat. Traditional solutions protect oneself from extreme cold, such as heaters or layered clothing are often bulky or require a constant power source.
Conductive textiles offer a lightweight, flexible alternative, but existing versions often have limitations, such as poor durability, high power consumption, and vulnerability to water exposure.
To overcome these challenges, IIT Guwahati research team developed a novel approach by sprayed ultra-thin and clean silver nanowires onto cotton fabric to make it conductive. These nanowires are 100,000 times thinner than a human hair, allowing electricity to flow through the fabric, helping it generate heat while remaining soft and flexible.
