GUWAHATI: The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) has developed a water-repellent, conductive textile capable of converting electricity and sunlight into heat, offering a lightweight and flexible solution to combat extreme cold.
ALSO READ: Guwahati Police Rescue Abducted Schoolgirl, One Arrested
This was stated in a press release from the institute on Thursday, February 13.
Designed to keep wearers warm in low temperatures, the project aims to address severe health risks, including arterial blood clotting, breathing difficulties, and weakened immunity due to prolonged exposure to cold.
Traditional heating solutions such as layered clothing or electric heaters are often bulky or require a constant power source. Conductive textiles offer an alternative, but existing versions face challenges like high power consumption, poor durability, and vulnerability to water damage.
To overcome these, IIT Guwahati researchers sprayed ultra-thin silver nanowires onto cotton fabric, making it conductive while keeping it soft and flexible. These nanowires, 100,000 times thinner than a human hair, allow electricity to flow efficiently, generating heat at low applied voltage without risk of electrocution.
The textile, powered by a rechargeable battery or solar energy, can maintain a temperature of 40°C to 60°C for over 10 hours. It has been tested in wearable knee and elbow bands, demonstrating its potential for individuals working in cold environments and arthritis patients needing heat therapy.
Other possible applications include on-demand water heating and accelerating chemical reactions.
The research findings have been published in the journal Nano-Micro-Small in a paper co-authored by Prof. Uttam Manna, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, along with his research team and Prof. Roy P. Paily from the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, IIT Guwahati.
