Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022 - 19

Wearable glucose
sensor responds
to sweat
D
iabetic patients typically
check their blood glucose
levels with a finger-prick blood test, or a subdermal implanted sensor.
But an experimental new device could perform this function just sitting
on the patient's skin. Currently under development at Pennsylvania State
University, the low-cost sensor is designed to measure glucose levels
in the wearer's sweat. Although the glucose concentration in sweat is
about one one-hundredth as much as that in the bloodstream, there is a
consistent correlation between the two.
The sensor incorporates a foam electrode, made up of laser-induced
graphene coated with a nickel/gold alloy. Graphene is strong, chemically
stable and electrically conductive, but it's not glucose-sensitive, so nickel,
which is very glucose-sensitive, is used in the electrode. The gold is added
to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction to the nickel. In a test of the
technology, the sensor was able to report levels in line with those obtained
using a commercially available glucose monitor. Photo: Jia Zhu.
Making cotton
behave more like
synthetic fibers
M
ost performance fabrics
used in athletic clothing,
such as Spandex, are made
from synthetic fibers-plastic,
essentially-but Natural Fiber
Welding (NFW), has found an
alternative to synthetic fabrics.
NFW's Clarus performance
Building a jacket that's
more than waterproof
Raw Cotton
cotton textile can be used for
clothing. The fabric is made from
cotton that has been treated to
partially break down the organic
material and leave it stronger
and denser. The result is cotton
yarn that behaves more like
synthetic fibers.
The process was discovered when NFW founder Luke Haverhals, working
Clarus Cotton
with a team of scientists, wondered what might happen if they partially broke
down natural fibers and then welded or fused them together. The result
is a kind of monofilament cotton. While the original fibers might be only a
few centimeters long, the partially dissolved and fused fibers can be made
much longer. This creates a stronger yarn that mimics the performance
characteristics of synthetic fibers. Photos: Natural Fiber Welding.
ritish adventure clothing brand
Vollebak has launched a jacket
it says is not just waterproof, it's
waterfall proof. The outer layer
of the company's Waterfallproof
Puffer was inspired by the famously
waterproof lotus leaf, which may
look completely flat, but the surface
is covered with microscopic bumps
that cause water droplets to roll off
it, rather than get absorbed. The
second layer is a smart, waterproof
and windproof membrane that
can open and close in response
to different weather conditions,
changes in temperature, humidity
and sweat. The third layer is an
insulation made with silk-like,
synthetic fibers that mimic the
warmth and softness of down and
are embedded with aerogel to
increase warmth but without adding
weight. This layer also has a water
repellent finish. A good shake is all
that's needed to get the jacket dry.
Photo: Vollebak.
B
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Specialty Fabrics Review February 2022

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