ELECTROCONDUCTIVE NANOFIBERS FOR TEXTILE-BASED SENSORS AND ACTUATORS

Abstract

Smart textiles reach a remarkable potential for use in people's lives by adding new and multiple functions and properties, overcoming the barriers of conventional textiles. They consist of built-in mechanical, thermal, magnetic, chemical, and/or electrical sensing and processing technologies to monitor stimuli, collect and convert data and––sometimes––perform an action, thus being able not only to track and communicate environmental and user data but also to manage and alleviate potential health risks or to give people friendly ways to enjoy life. Many industries are utilizing these smart materials from defencemen to fashion designers, casual shoppers, sportive people, doctors and caregivers, to the occupied business-people. With the advancement of nanotechnology, electrospinning has made its presence felt lately due to its reduced complexity and the potential to obtain functionalized continuous fibres with micro and nanometer ordinal dimensions. Electroconductive nanofibers obtained by electrospinning due to their unique structural and electrical properties are very good candidates to obtain sensing and actuation devices. Compared to conventional materials, electroconductive nanofibers possess numerous benefits which can meet the desired requirements for developing such smart applications. This paper discusses approaches to the manufacture of electroconductive nanofibers by electrospinning technology, their advantages and their use as nanofiber-based sensors and actuators for various applications.

Keywords

• smart textiles
• electrospinning
• stimuli sensitivity
• wearable devices
• artificial muscles