Graphene is the talk of the town in the clothing industry. Because of its amazing qualities, such as lightweight, stunning electrical and thermal conduction abilities, Graphene is considered the thinnest and one of the most flexible materials in the clothing industry. Graphene consists of a single layer of carbon atoms, and these atoms are strongly bonded by strong chemical bonds, resulting in Graphene being 200x times stronger than steel.
Figure 1: Structure of graphene
The graphene material is made up of carbon layer atoms, and the thick quality of a single bit results in extraordinary electrical and thermal conductivity abilities. These high-end features of Graphene make it greater than steel.
Researchers and scientists are continuously finding new ways of integrating graphene material into the textiles of the 21st century. This material is a great cloth that can be used for manufacturing high-end advanced sportswear. Understanding the features and distinctions between smart clothing, smart wearable, and e-textiles is important when getting your hands on using Graphene in the textile industry.
Smart clothing is the future: Smart clothing refers to the physical smart wearable that offers advanced sensors providing response or feedback to you. Smart clothing includes smartwatches, smart headphones, glasses, or it may be any sensors or electronic circuits integrated within the textile.
This idea of integrating the advanced technology of Graphene with the clothing is quite sophisticated, but every day it is getting better. The fabric that combines with modern technology might irritate the skin, some can’t withstand the washing, or some become uncomfortable to wear.
Moreover, another factor that resists is that clothing with such technology that offers such high-end features and functionalities is costly and isn’t biodegradable.
Graphene in smart clothing: In recent years, graphene material has gained popularity because of its revolutionary properties. The graphene fabric plays the role of a medium filter between your skin and the environment.
Figure 2: Graphene in clothing
The graphene material is proven to be a powerful innovation and, when implemented in wearable technology, can bring a great impact. The graphene fabric is useful for clothing, such as jackets, graphene shirts, trousers, gloves, battery heated jackets, and even socks, including a wide range of winter garments. Many sportswear manufacturers are started to work with the graphene supplier to produce a fabric that features technology through Graphene clothes, and Zega Apparel is also one of them.
The graphene fabric expels heat when worn in warm surroundings. Still,the material can preserve heat within the cold surroundings by evenly distributing the body heat, perfect for all seasons throughout the year. This is how the graphene fabric naturally adjusts the fabric’s temperature to adjust according to your body temperature.
Graphene ink:
The graphene fabric contains graphene ink. According to a study, the textile industry’s most used fabric is cotton, as it is comfortable, highly breathable, and lightweight. The graphic ink is produced to stick with the cotton clothing, and the Graphene sticks like the color dyes to the cloth, preventing the wear and tear situation.
After applying the graphene ink over the cotton fabric, the cloth is treated with heat to assure better conductivity. This also ensures that graphene ink clothes keep working as an excellent conductor even after several washes.
Graphene in sportswear:
Graphene cloth is widely used in the production of activewear and sportswear. It allows athletes and players to observe their movements and heart rate. Moreover, this also helps in detecting muscular problems in the players. These clothes are known as wearable sensors. These clothes are made up of cotton, and when combined with wearable sensors, they are turned into electronic components that open doors for other smart clothing.
Future belongs to Graphene: Graphene is undoubtedly the future of sportswear textile, as it promises to solve all the drawbacks occurring in the smart material. Now the researchers and scientists’ primary aim is to find out different ways by which smart technology can be transmitted into the fabric with the help of Graphene.
Here are the following possibilities with the combination of clothing and Graphene:
With the integration of Graphene and smart technology in the cloth, the cloth can change its color according to heat or body temperature, breathing, or self-clean the fabric.
With the graphene tech engaged in your cloth, there is a possibility of charging your smartphone using the environmental energy in your surroundings.
Clothes made up of graphene technology can measure the blood pressure, heartbeat, and breathing rate and host other bio measurements.
The Graphene shows strong cytotoxicity against bacteria. So using graphene clothes is also beneficial in terms of medical, and it can help prevent the spread of harmful viruses and bacteria.
There are just a few things Graphene can do with the combination of e-textiles. We can’t deny the fact that Graphene can do more wonders while being heat and odor resistant, antibacterial, self-cleaning, and renewable features.
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.
