Abstract
The increase in demand and popularity of smart textiles brings new and innovative ideas to develop a diverse range of textile-based devices for our daily life applications. Smart textile-based sensors (TEX sensors) become attractive due to the potential to replace current solid-state sensor devices with flexible and wearable devices. We have developed a smart textile sensor for humidity detection using a metal–organic framework (MOF) as an active thin-film layer. We show for the first time the use of the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique for the deposition of a MIL-96(Al) MOF thin film directly onto the fabrics containing interdigitated textile electrodes for the fabrication of a highly selective humidity sensor. The humidity sensors were made from two different types of textiles, namely, linen and cotton, with the linen-based sensor giving the best response due to better coverage of MOF. The TEX sensor showed a reproducible response after multiple cycles of measurements. After 3 weeks of storage, the sensor showed a moderate decrease in response. Moreover, TEX sensors showed a high level of selectivity for the detection of water vapors in the presence of several volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Interestingly, the selectivity is superior to some of the previously reported MOF-coated solid-state interdigitated electrode devices and textile sensors. The method herein described is generic and can be extended to other textiles and coating materials for the detection of toxic gases and vapors.
Highlights
Smart textiles have emerged as a new market due to the growing interest in flexible and wearable electronic devices for various applications such as measurement of human physiological signals of pressure and temperature, energy storage and harvesting, gas sensors, and biosensors.[1−5] The inclusion of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in smart textiles is another crucial factor that has been contributing to the growth in the smart textile market
MIL-96(Al) metal−organic framework (MOF) was chosen for coating a thin film directly on the fabric containing interdigitated conductive thread electrodes as an active layer of humidity sensor due to its thermal stability along with high water adsorption capacity and moisture stability,[24,56] and the fact that we have previously shown that high-quality films can be obtained using nanoparticles (NPs) of this material.[24,26]
The interdigitated textile electrode fabric was first fixed into a custom-built PMMA circular frame so that the fabric remains flat during the deposition of MOF particles (Figures 1a,b and S2)
Summary
Smart textiles have emerged as a new market due to the growing interest in flexible and wearable electronic devices for various applications such as measurement of human physiological signals of pressure and temperature, energy storage and harvesting, gas sensors, and biosensors.[1−5] The inclusion of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in smart textiles is another crucial factor that has been contributing to the growth in the smart textile market. Smart textiles are expected to create the fourth industrial revolution for the global textile and fashion industry worth U.S $130 billion by 2025.6 Smart textiles extend the functionality and usefulness of the everyday fabric by combining electronics and smart materials that have a diverse spectrum of functionalities.[7] The choice in the inclusion of a wide variety of nanomaterials, such as metal− organic frameworks (MOFs) with various functions, is an excellent opportunity to extend the application landscape of smart textiles with enhanced performance These materials combine the highly regular and well-defined pore shape of inorganic porous materials (e.g., zeolites) with the high chemical versatility of organic linkers. The developed MOF-coated interdigitated textile sensor demonstrates a generic method of the incorporation of MOF thin films using the LB method, which opens up the possibilities to develop several other textile-based sensors by varying the type of MOF used for coating
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
