This paper reviews some prominent applications and approaches to developing smart fabrics for wearable technology. The importance of flexible and electrically conductive textiles in the emerging body-centric sensing and wireless communication systems is highlighted. Examples of applications are discussed with a focus on a range of textile-based sensors and antennas. Developments in alternative materials and structures for producing flexible and conductive textiles are reviewed, including inherently conductive polymers, carbon-based materials, and nano-enhanced composite fibers and fibrous structures.

The potential of nanotechnology innovation in the textile industry is vast and promising. Major breakthroughs in novel nano-based textile finishing have been documented over the last two decades. In this report, we present an overview of nanotechnology developments highlighted in the research literature relevant to textile materials. The functions discussed span a broad array including self-cleaning, electrical conductivity, antibacterial potency, thermal stability and flame retardancy, thermal regulation, and selective permeability/adsorption. We review both particulate and fibrous structures proposed to impart those functionalities at the nanoscale. Among the most notable particulate structures, we discuss carbon nanotubes (CNTs), nanodiamonds, nanoclay, diverse metal nanoparticles such as silver and titanium dioxide (TiO₂), and an array of bio-based nanomaterials including cellulose nanocrystals and chitosan. We then review the main approaches available to process nanofibers and discuss characteristics relevant to textile and apparel applications.

We have developed a prototype of breathable thermochromic textile ideal for sensor applications, e.g., medical thermography. The textile was woven/knitted from polyester filaments pre-coated with thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) ink, in lieu of coating the TLC ink on the woven/knitted textile. This process brings us closer to achieving breathable thermochromic textiles while enhancing the versatility of the textile. A combination of precoated yarns can be preselected according to the desired thermochromic properties of the textile. Swatches from both knitted and handwoven fabrics showed excellent reversible thermochromic property showing color from red to blue as the temperature is raised from 26 to 32 °C, consistent with the unincorporated TLC ink.

Since antiquity, natural fibers have been a vital component of human civilization

Human sebum is one of the major constituents of oily organic soils found in worn clothing. While there are methods to evaluate visible aspects of fabric cleanliness, such as stains, there is no objective method to detect skin oils transferred to the garment through contact with the human body. This research aims at establishing the feasibility of using ozone decay rates in the presence of soiled fabric samples as a metric for measuring the amount of sebum. Our central hypothesis is based on the fact that ozone is highly reactive with some of the primary compounds found in skin lipids originating from sebaceous gland secretions. Ozone decay experiments were conducted in the presence of fabric samples contaminated with known amounts of sebum and modeled using the exponential decay function. The results obtained exhibited a significant relationship between the soil add-on and the ozone decay rates. The presence of skin lipids on fabric accelerated ozone decay. It appears feasible based on our results to detect the presence of soils on garments and thus assess cleanliness using the variation of ozone decay rates.