Colour-changing thread that could alert wearers of harmful gases
Avoiding dangerous gases could soon be as easy as checking your wristwatch, thanks to a new type of thread.
Researchers at Tufts University say a special chemically dyed thread is capable of visually alerting the wearer to the presence of toxic gases like ammonia or hydrogen chloride.
The clue lies in the fabric's rapidly colour- changing capabilities, which change when there's gas in the air.
Depending on the depth and intensity of the colour change, the wearer can go beyond simply knowing that certain gases are near and infer what exactly the concentration is, researchers said.
'The dyes we used work in different ways, so we can detect gases with different chemistries,' said Sameer Sonkusale, professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University' s School of Engineering.
Researchers say that while their new technology, which they describe as a ' smart thread,' wouldn't be a replacement for electronically powered detectors, they would help decrease the barrier of training and expertise.
By using a colour-coded system, anyone with a rubric who is capable of viewing the fabric could know exactly when and where there are noxious gases.
Use of the potentially life-saving dies could be applied to an array of situations, say researchers.
Among them are more professional situations like workers excavating oil or gas who are at risk of explosions, but also include domestic scenarios like deadly carbon monoxide leaks.
According to the Center for Disease Control ( CDC). in the U.S., 50,000 people are brought to the emergency room every year for carbon monoxide poisoning and around 430 die each year.
For a more precise reading, experts say that threads could also be analyzed using a smartphone which would also allow the detection of multiple gases at once.
Despite the fabrics seemingly high- tech applications, researchers say they took care to also make the threads durable.
By sealing dyes inside the threads using a polymer, clothing made from the material is able to be washed and reused without affecting its performance. The added endurance also means that clothing would be able to detect gases like ammonia underwater.