Development of Low-Cost and Eco-Friendly Bio-based Functional Textiles for Sensing and Energy Applications

In this project, electrically conductive plant fibre (PF) based textiles will be developed for sensing (e.g. strain, damage, moisture, etc.) and energy applications (e.g. supercapacitors, batteries, etc.). Textile structures with tailored properties will be produced using renewable and cheap PFs using a low-cost textile technology and subsequently, functionalised with conducting nanomaterials using an eco-friendly deposition technique. Detailed research will be performed on the nano-ink preparation and deposition method to achieve the targeted level of electrical conductivity. These light-weight, thin, flexible and eco-friendly textiles will have great potential to replace expensive and rigid metallic and synthetic materials with high carbon footprints.