Japanese scientists have developed the first piezoelectric fabric for wearable devices, which can detect the wearer’s movements.
This breakthrough was jointly developed by Teijin Corporation, a company specializing in chemical polymers and textiles, and Professor Yoshiro Tajitsu of the Department of Engineering Science at Kansai University.
Piezoelectric fabric based on PLA (polylactic acid) fiber and carbon fiber is composed of PLLA (polyL-lactic acid) fiber and carbon fiber electrodes and other materials. Different weaves such as plain, twill, and satin are used for different applications. Plain weave can sense bending, satin weave can sense twisting, and twill weave can sense shearing and 3D movements, as well as bending and twisting movements.
Its sensing function adopts Teijin’s plain weaving and knitting technology, which can detect any displacement or direction change of the human body, allowing the fabric to be applied to actuators or sensors to detect complex movements, even 3D movements.
Kansai University and Teijin Corporation stated that the next step is to develop applications for plain and knitted fabrics, so that human body activities can be monitored through clothing.
The piezoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which dielectric materials produce charge accumulation in response to mechanical stress. With the application of voltage, mechanical tension will be generated in the material and have a counterproductive effect. These two effects can be measured, allowing piezoelectric materials to be effectively used in sensors and actuators.
Up to now, piezoelectric materials are still limited by problems such as lack of transparency and elasticity, as well as restrictions on the use of certain harmful substances in electrical and electronic equipment (such as PZT piezoelectric ceramics, namely lead zirconate titanate).
In 2012, Kansai University and Teijin developed an elastic and transparent piezoelectric film by alternately layering PPLA and the optical isomer PDLA (poly D-lactic acid). The recently developed piezoelectric fabric is the result of new application research and development of these technologies.
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