Materials

Singapore researchers 3D print novel sweat evaporating film capable of powering wearable electronics

A research team from theNational University of Singapore (NUS)has used 3D printing to produce a novel film that can effectively evaporate sweat from human skin, designed for applications such as underarm pads, insoles, and shoe linings.

The researchers have also demonstrated how the moisture absorbed by the film can be harnessed to power wearable electronic devices such as watches and fitness trackers.

“Sweat is mostly composed of water. When water is evaporated from the skin surface, it lowers the skin temperature and we feel cooler,” explained research team leader Tan Swee Ching, of the NUS Department of Material Science and Engineering. “In our new invention, we created a novel film that is extremely effective in evaporating sweat from our skin and then absorbing the moisture from sweat.

“We also take this one step further – by converting the moisture from sweat into energy that could be used to power small wearable devices.”

3D printing the film

The researchers constructed the film from two hygroscopic chemicals, cobalt chloride and ethanolamine, which can attract and hold water molecules absorbed from their surrounding environment. According to the team, the moisture-absorbing 3D printed film can take in 15 times more moisture at a rate of up to six times faster than comparable conventional materials.

As moisture is absorbed, the film changes color from blue to purple, and then to pink, in order to give an indication of the amount of water absorption that has taken place. When exposed to sunlight, the film can rapidly release the absorbed water and regenerate itself in able to be reused more than a hundred times.

影片展示的应用程序,researchers integrated it into polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes, which are commonly used in clothing, and created an underarm pad, shoe lining, and shoe insole.

“The prototype for the shoe insole was created using 3D printing,” said research team co-leader Professor Ding Jun, also of NUS. “The material used is a mixture of soft polymer and hard polymer, thus providing sufficient support and shock absorption.”

Ching补充说:“使用固定在吸收水分的薄膜的腋下垫,鞋衬里和鞋底鞋垫,迅速吸收了汗水蒸发的水分,以防止汗水积聚,并提供干燥且凉爽的微气候以提供个人舒适感。”

鞋底原型涂有新的薄膜,因为它吸收了水分,从而从蓝色变为粉红色。图像通过nus。
鞋底原型涂有新的薄膜,因为它吸收了水分,从而从蓝色变为粉红色。图像通过nus。

为可穿戴电子设备提供动力

研究人员进一步迈出了一步,寻找一种充分利用影片带来的汗水的方法。为此,他们设计并创建了由八个电化学电池(EC)组成的可穿戴能量收集设备,其中他们将3D印刷膜用作电解质。

Upon absorbing moisture, each EC could generate around 0.57 volts of electricity, and in total the device generated enough energy to power a light-emitting diode. According to the team, this proof-of-concept demonstration could pave the way for “significant economic potential” within the fields of functional clothing, footwear, and wearable electronics.

该研究的更多细节可以在标题为““具有双重功能的可穿戴设备的超级高温膜,可以加快汗水蒸发和能量收获”,在《纳米能源杂志》中。该论文由X.

An NUS research team led by Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching (seated, left) and Professor Ding Jun (seated right) has developed a novel film that is extremely effective in evaporating sweat from skin. Image via NUS.
An NUS research team led by Assistant Professor Tan Swee Ching (seated, left) and Professor Ding Jun (seated right) has developed a novel film that is extremely effective in evaporating sweat from skin. Image via NUS.

3D打印可穿戴技术

3D printing has been involved in the design and creation of wearable technology devices and garmentsfor some time now,并且在过去几年中,这一领域有许多创新的发展,尤其是在能够应对其环境的服装中。

Back in 2015, 3D printing was employed in the creation of a helmet thatchanges shape in response to the wearer’s brainwaves,其目的是探索对大脑神经命令反应的多物质印刷和可穿戴设备的组合。几个月后,几个MITdesigners used FDM to create a3D printed shoe that changes shapein response to stimuli from the wearer.

More recently, 3D printing has been explored as a potential method to produce electronic wearables, such as watches and fitness trackers.

2017年,来自National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology(NIIST) investigated3D printed flexible electronicsfor use in remote locations, with the goal of creating a wearable antenna that can be embedded in the jackets of soldiers to communicate health data. Meanwhile, researchers of the清洁电子研究小组在伦敦布鲁内尔大学3D printed a low cost, flexible battery可以将其加入可穿戴的硅胶带中,被认为是第一次通过3D打印完全生产的灵活超级电容器。

在其他地方,来自Sungkyunkwan Universityhave 3D printed wearable medical biosensors for personalized health monitoring, while theCentre for Additive Manufacturing在诺丁汉大学最近取得了突破in the study of 3D printing electronics with graphene.

充电腕带在伦敦布鲁内尔大学开发。通过布鲁内尔大学伦敦的照片 
充电腕带在伦敦布鲁内尔大学开发。通过布鲁内尔大学伦敦的照片

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特色图像显示了鞋鞋底原型,该原型涂有新的薄膜,从蓝色变为粉红色,因为它吸收了水分。图像通过nus。