Descrizione del progetto
Un futuro con dispositivi elettronici indossabili perfettamente integrati
In un mondo in cui la nostra salute è monitorata da componenti microelettronici integrati, è fondamentale che questi siano alimentati da fonti affidabili e durature. L’esigenza di un’interazione continua tra il nostro corpo e i sistemi digitali ha ispirato il progetto ThermoTex, finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca. Sfruttando l’energia del calore corporeo, ThermoTex intende sviluppare generatori termoelettrici a base tessile in grado di alimentare autonomamente l’elettronica incorporata, senza bisogno di manutenzione o di sostituire le batterie. Dal momento che le tecnologie termoelettriche tradizionali, basate su materiali tossici costosi e fragili, non sono adatte alle applicazioni indossabili, ThermoTex utilizzerà semiconduttori polimerici e nanocompositi. Creando materiali con prestazioni termoelettriche migliori, il progetto desidera aprire la strada alla produzione di tessuti termoelettrici a basso costo.
Obiettivo
Imagine a world, in which countless embedded microelectronic components continuously monitor our health and allow us to seamlessly interact with our digital environment. One particularly promising platform for the realisation of this concept is based on wearable electronic textiles. In order for this technology to become truly pervasive, a myriad of devices will have to operate autonomously over an extended period of time without the need for additional maintenance, repair or battery replacement. The goal of this research programme is to realise textile-based thermoelectric generators that without additional cost can power built-in electronics by harvesting one of the most ubiquitous energy sources available to us: our body heat.
Current thermoelectric technologies rely on toxic inorganic materials that are both expensive to produce and fragile by design, which renders them unsuitable especially for wearable applications. Instead, in this programme we will use polymer semiconductors and nanocomposites. Initially, we will focus on the preparation of materials with a thermoelectric performance significantly beyond the state-of-the-art. Then, we will exploit the ease of shaping polymers into light-weight and flexible articles such as fibres, yarns and fabrics. We will explore both, traditional weaving methods as well as emerging 3D-printing techniques, in order to realise low-cost thermoelectric textiles.
Finally, within the scope of this programme we will demonstrate the ability of prototype thermoelectric textiles to harvest a small fraction of the wearer’s body heat under realistic conditions. We will achieve this through integration into clothing to power off-the-shelf sensors for health care and security applications. Eventually, it can be anticipated that the here interrogated thermoelectric design paradigms will be of significant benefit to the European textile and health care sector as well as society in general.
Campo scientifico
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringtextiles
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivity
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringnanocomposites
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-STG - Starting GrantIstituzione ospitante
412 96 GOTEBORG
Svezia