Smart wearable Kevlar-based safeguarding electronic textile with excellent sensing performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Wearable Electronics

Background:

• Traditional protective textiles often lack integrated sensing capabilities.
• There is a need for advanced materials offering both physical protection and real-time monitoring.
• Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) offer unique electrical properties for sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel wearable electronic textile (WET) based on S-ST/MWCNT/Kevlar.
• To enhance the safeguarding performance (stab and impact resistance) of the textile.
• To integrate force sensing capabilities into the WET for monitoring external forces and body movements.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a S-ST/MWCNT/Kevlar composite material.
• Quasi-static and dynamic stab resistance tests were performed.
• Dynamic impact resistance tests were conducted to evaluate energy absorption.
• Electrical conductivity measurements were taken to assess sensing capabilities under mechanical stress.

Main Results:

• The WET demonstrated a 90% increase in maximum resistance force and a 50% increase in penetration impact energy compared to neat Kevlar.
• The WET absorbed all impact energy in dynamic tests, with a 190% improvement in maximum resistance force over neat Kevlar.
• Incorporation of MWCNTs resulted in stable electrical conductivity (∼10^-2 S m^-1) highly sensitive to mechanical forces.
• The WET showed excellent ability to detect, analyze, and monitor external forces and human body movements.

Conclusions:

• The developed S-ST/MWCNT/Kevlar WET provides significantly enhanced stab and impact protection.
• The textile's electrical properties allow for sensitive and reliable force sensing, enabling movement monitoring.
• This WET holds strong potential for advanced wearable monitoring devices that combine protection and physiological tracking.