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Clothing embedded with 1,200 tiny solar panels illuminates future of wearable tech

Textiles embedded with more than a thousand miniature solar cells - which are capable of charging a smart watch or mobile phone - have been developed by researchers at Nottingham Trent University.

Clothing embedded with 1,200 tiny solar panels illuminates future of wearable tech

Textiles embedded with more than a thousand miniature solar cells - which are capable of charging a smart watch or mobile phone - have been developed by researchers at Nottingham Trent University.

Research overseen by Dr Theodore Hughes-Riley, associate professor of Electronic Textiles at the Nottingham School of Art & Design, has led to the development of a woven textile embedded with 1,200 photovoltaic cells.

The cells combined together are capable of harnessing 400 milliwatts (mWatts) of electrical energy from the sun – enough to charge a basic mobile phone or smartwatch.

The e-textile is an advanced prototype which could be incorporated into a piece of clothing such as a jacket, or used as part of an accessory such as a backpack.

Fitted with strong but very flexible wiring, it is designed to be exposed to the same forces as everyday clothing and can be washed in a machine at 40°C with other laundry.

The solar cells - which measure only five millimetres in length and 1.5 millimetres in width - are embedded in a waterproof polymer resin and cannot be felt by the wearer.

People
Dr Hughes-Riley (right) with Ms Kgatuke (left) and Dr Abeywickrama (centre)

“This prototype gives an exciting glimpse of the future potential for e-textiles,” said Dr Hughes-Riley, of the university’s Advanced Textiles Research Group (ATRG).

“Until now very few people would have considered that their clothing or textiles products could be used for generating electricity.

“And the material which we have developed, for all intents and purposes, appears and behaves the same as any ordinary textile, as it can be scrunched up and washed in a machine.

“But hidden beneath the surface is a network of more than a thousand tiny photovoltaic cells which can harness the sun’s energy to charge personal devices.

“Electronic textiles really have the potential to change people’s relationship with technology, as this prototype shows how we could do away with charging many devices at the wall.

“This is an exciting development which builds on previous technologies we have made and illustrates how it can be scaled up to generate more power.”

Textiles
The solar cells e-textile prototype

The material - which measures 51cm by 27cm - is breathable and chemically stable as all the solar cells are made from silicon.

Tests showed that the material generated a power output of 335.3 mWatts in 0.86 sunlight. Under 1.0 sun it would generate up to 394 mWatts.

The project team included Dr Neranga Abeywickrama, who worked as a postdoctoral research fellow in Energy Harvesting and Management in Textiles, and PhD candidate Matholo Kgatuke, research associate in the Weaving of Electronic Textiles.

Ms Kgatuke, of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, said: “This project shows how e-textiles can be at the forefront of sustainability and that they have the potential to reshape our existing conceptions of technology.

“We have combined long-established weaving techniques with modern technology to create future products which may change people’s perceptions of clothing and electronics.”

  • Notes for editors

    Press enquiries please contact Chris Birkle, Public Relations Manager, on telephone +44 (0)115 848 2310, or via email.

    Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

    The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

    NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked second best university in the UK in the Uni Compare Top 100 rankings (2021/2022). It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

    NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with nearly 39,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

    Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.

    NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.

    NTU is ranked 4th most sustainable university in the world and 1st in the UK for sustainability-themed Education and Research in the 2021 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).

Published on 14 October 2022
  • Category: Press office; School of Art & Design