There is a T-shirt in the making that can produce electricity using the temperature difference between the human body and the surrounding ambient air. It’s called the “e-textile” prototype. The project is a collaboration between researchers from the Faculty of Science of the University of Malaga (UMA) and the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa (IIT). The best part is, the T-shirt uses low-cost and sustainable materials like tomato skin!
José Alejandro Heredia, one of the authors of this project, explained:
So far, metals have been the chemical elements commonly used in the fabrication of electronic devices. This project took a step forward, and we have been able to generate electricity by using light and more affordable and less toxic materials.
The Formula:
- Water
- Ethanol – a type of ecological alcohol, this one, in particular, is derived from tomato skin
- Carbon nanoparticles
Mix these ingredients, and you get the solution. According to experts:
When this solution is heated up [by body heat], it penetrates and adheres to cotton, thus obtaining electrical properties, like those generated by tellurium, germanium or lead, but from biodegradable materials.
Susana Guzmán, another author from the UMA, elaborated:
When someone walks or runs, warms up. If such a person wore a T-shirt designed with these characteristics, the difference between his/her body and the colder temperature of the surroundings could generate electricity.
The project results have been published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
The team of researchers is currently evolving the development of their device so it can be incorporated into a variety of useful textile garments. A few examples include:
- In T-shirts for situations that need reflective clothing. It would serve to generate light and make a uniform reflect light, for instance.
- In clothing to charge electronics. It could be used to make clothes that can charge a mobile phone without a charger.
- In biomedical applications. It could assist with monitoring vital signals (like heart rate) to the users’ mobile phones.
- In robotics. Its light and flexible nature makes it an ideal material for robots and could improve robotic features immensely.
Guzmán joked:
In a previous study, we were able to create a Wi-Fi antenna from tomato skin and graphene. We are also studying the possibility of incorporating this invention into the “e-textile” T-shirt, which would enable us to be like the superhero Iron Man, who wears a suit with all types of technological devices, and even fly.
For now, the idea is still in the very early phases of development. But someday soon, you’ll be able to charge your laptop or monitor your heartbeat and measure the intensity of your physical exercise using nothing but your clothes!
