Who

Fibers sewn into fabrics can turn heat from the Sun or other sources into energy that could power textile electronics.

What

Invisibly small carbon nanotubes aligned as fibers were used to create flexible cotton fabric that turned heat into enough energy to power an LED. With further development, the materials could become building blocks for fiber and textile electronics and energy harvesting. The same nanotube fibers could also be used as heat sinks to actively cool sensitive electronics with high efficiency. If one side of a thermoelectric material is hotter than the other, it produces energy. The heat can come from the Sun or other devices like hotplates. Conversely, adding energy can prompt the material to cool the hotter side. Until now, no macroscopic assemblies of nanomaterials have displayed the power factor of 14 milliwatts per meter kelvin squared that the material supplies. While the fibers were cut into centimeter lengths, devices can make use of the nanotube fibers spooled in continuous lengths.

Where

Rice University, Houston, Texas

Why

Carbon nanotube fibers have been on a steady growth path and are proving advantageous in this and other applications. The increasing interest in mobile and wearable technology demands the enhancement of functionality of clothing. Whether the new research leads to a solar panel that can be thrown in the washing machine remains to be seen, but there is varied potential.

When

The team’s small-scale experiments were with a flexible cotton fabric that turned heat into enough energy to power an LED. With further development, they say such materials could become building blocks for fiber and textile electronics and energy harvesting.

Contact: Mike Williams, Rice University, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; 713-348-6728.