Developments in nanostructured fibers for firefighting suits, body armours, producing electricity

A new fabric has been developed by incorporating nanostructure fiber for use in advanced firefighting suits that are 40% more effective in preventing burns than without nanostructure fiber and 15% lighter than conventional heat-barrier linings. The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Teijin Techno Products Ltd. and Hosokawa Micron Corp. announced the development of this fibre. Hosokawa Micron developed nanoparticles with superior heat resistance that can be uniformly dispersed in aramid fiber, and also established conditions for manufacturing the nanoparticles. Teijin Techno Products developed the nanostructure fiber by kneading the nanoparticles into Technora aramid fiber, and it also developed the stack structure to enable the fabric to be used as a lining in firefighting suits. This offers high strength, heat resistance, dimensional stability and chemical resistance. The two basic functions of firefighting suits are flame and heat barrier properties and comfort to alleviate fatigue and heatstroke. Until now, it has been technically difficult to combine both at a high level, but the new fabric realizes both functions in the heat-barrier layer, a lining serving as the innermost of three layers in firefighting suits. The key development was the uniform dispersion of nanosized carbon particles in Technora aramid fiber to substantially increase thermal conductivity compared to ordinary aramid fiber, allowing the efficient diffusion and radiation of heat reaching the inside of the suit. Tests conducted by Teijin Techno Products show that suits lined with the new fabric are 40% better in preventing second and third-degree burns compared to suits that do not use nanostructure fiber. In addition, the fabric lowers the weight of the heat-barrier layer by 15% compared to conventional linings capable of equivalent heat resistance. The fabric satisfies North American heat-barrier performance standards, thought to be the world's strictest for firefighting suits, and Japanese firefighting suit standards, which are among the world's most demanding in terms of comfort. The companies aim to establish technology to mass produce the fabric for commercial use in firefighting suits as soon as possible. Meanwhile, they are attempting to knead different nanoparticles into aramid fiber to realize new or enhanced properties, such as electric conductivity and electromagnetic wave shielding, without impairing the intrinsic properties of aramid fiber. In addition, it should be possible to improve combustion resistance and reduce heat shrinkage by adding nanoparticles of titania and silica inorganic compounds. A variety of applications are expected to be found for advanced materials made of these new nanostructure fibers, especially applications in which organic materials cannot be used.
SouthWest NanoTechnologies, Inc. is manufacturing specialty multi-wall carbon nanotubes that are being incorporated into enhanced body armor to improve protection of soldiers and law enforcement officers from small arms fire. SWeNT�s SMW100 will be used in a highly advanced nanotechnology application to create stronger, lighter armor that fundamentally improves its resistance to impact and reduces the penetration depth of a bullet. This new hybrid armor has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Program Agency (DARPA) to undergo rigorous testing and evaluation against the most destructive small arms fire. Once it has passed testing, the armor will provide US military and law enforcement personnel better, lighter and less costly armor than has been available before. SWeNT SMW100 is affordable, easy to disperse in polymers, and forms extremely robust networks that enhance the structural performance of the composites.
Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley are perfecting microscopic fibers that can produce electricity from simple body motions such as bending, stretching and twisting. The filaments, which resemble tiny fishing lines, may soon be woven into clothing and sold as the ultimate portable generators. It could take three years or more before it hits the store shelves. In addition to helping reduce electricity demands on local utilities, new industries could spring up to manufacture the tiny personal generators. Researchers are envisioning hikers powering up their digital cameras while trekking up a mountain or a jogger charging up her cell phone in mid-run. Soldiers would no longer have to carry heavy batteries to power their gear. It would take about 100,000 fibers to produce enough power for an electrical watch and 1 million fibers to generate enough current to power an iPod. But a bundle of 1 million fibers would be only about the size of a grain of sand. The filaments are made from a cheap, organic plastic called polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), also cameos in fishing lines, insulation for electrical wires and paint on buildings such as the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan. The team produces the fibers using a technique it pioneered called near-field electro spinning. A syringe filled with a polymer solution is suspended over a moving, electrically conductive silicon wafer. An electrical field pulls the solution out, forming fine fibers on the wafer in regular patterns.
A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology developed fibers similar to Lin's several years ago using synthetic Kevlar strands coated with zinc oxide rods. The resulting filaments, which look like hair rollers, produce energy when rubbed together. The researchers have also produced electrical currents from fingers typing on cell phones, hamsters running on exercise wheels, even vibrating vocal cords. Tiny modules could eventually be implanted in the human body to harvest energy from muscle movement or blood vessels. At Stanford University, researchers are developing fabric-based batteries (eTextiles) that could potentially store the energy produced at UC-Berkeley. Ordinary cloth becomes rechargeable batteries and capacitors when immersed in a special ink formula and then oven-dried. A piece weighing about an ounce can retain up to three times the amount of energy that a cell phone battery can, while remaining lightweight and flexible. Turkish firm producing smart clothing via nanotechnology is likely to revolutionize clothing in the future through the creation of garments like anti-odor socks and dirt and moisture-resistant pants, t-shirts that charge mobile phones. Yesim Tekstil has been pursuing extensive research and development on smart clothing production in recent times. The firm has produced articles of clothing that successfully prevent the smell of sweat, as well as garments that provide vitamin E. These smart clothes do not get stained. Another essential product is 100a5 natural rapidly removes moisture from the body. A 300-gram towel neutralizes 8 liters of unpleasant odors, while a t-shirt can neutralize four liters of unpleasant odors.