Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/05/2022
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

The Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology and theBrockhouse Institute for Materials Research invite you to a seminar withDr. Tricia Carmichael, Department of Chemistry, University of Windsor

*Note,this seminar will be offered in hybrid format*

Title: WearableElectronics Using a Textile-Centric Design Approach

Date: Wednesday, May 4,2022

Time: 11:00-12:00

Room: ABB 163

Zoom: please email chemgrad@mcmaster.ca for Zoom details 

Host: Jose Moran-Mirabal

 Abstract: Clothing is ubiquitous in daily life,making textiles an ideal platform for the next generation of wearableelectronics. New electronic textiles (e-textiles) will incorporate sensors todetect biometric data, light-emitting devices to display data, and integratedwiring and power sources. The fabrication of these e-textiles requires theintegration of functional materials into the textile, while maintainingwearability, softness, and stretchability. The challenge with this integrationis that the porous, 3D structures of textiles are obviously different from theflat and rigid surfaces conventionally used for device fabrication. Textilespresent a non-planar surface for fabrication and readily absorb and wicksolutions of functional inks, which can stiffen the textile and compromisewearability. In this presentation, we discuss the use of solution-basedelectroless metallization to fabricate conductive textiles. A key advantage ofthis approach is the ability of the aqueous plating solution to permeate intothe textile structures to deposit conformal, uniform gold coatings on thesurfaces of individual fibers that comprise the yarns, leaving the voidstructure of the textile intact. We also discuss how the ready availability ofthe considerable variety of textiles offers a great opportunity to advance thee-textile field by incorporating textile structures into the device design. Inthis textile-centric design paradigm, textiles play an integral role in theoperation of e-textile devices rather than acting merely as passive devicecarriers. We discuss how the open structure of a low-denier nylon and spandexultrasheer fabric can be used as a framework for highly stretchable transparentelectrodes in wearable and stretchable light-emitting devices, and how thetufted structure of a velour fabric can form the basis for an architecturalengineering approach to protect brittle electroactive materials from strain forthe fabrication of stretchable textile-based lithium-ion batteries.