The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom produces the first retractable graphene yarn

A team of researchers led by Nobel Laureate Professor Kostya Novelov and Dr Nazmul Karim from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom has developed a method for producing scalable graphene yarns.
-functional wearable electronic textiles are being watched for their potential for health, sportswear, fitness and aerospace applications. Due to the high conductivity and flexibility of graphene, graphene is considered a potentially good material for these types of applications
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. Each atom in graphene is exposed to its environment, allowing it to detect changes around it, making it an ideal material for sensors. Smart wearable textiles have undergone a renaissance in recent years through innovation and miniaturization and the wireless revolution.
researchers have tried to integrate textile-based sensors into clothing, however, the current manufacturing process is complex, time-consuming, expensive, and the materials used are non-biodegradable, while using unstable metal conductive materials.
process developed by the team at the National Graphene Institute in the UK could use existing textile machinery to produce tons of conductive graphene-based yarn without increasing production costs, ACS Nano reported. In addition to producing yarns in large quantities, they also have washable, flexible, inexpensive and biodegradable properties.
the sensor can be integrated into self-powered RFID or low-power Bluetooth to send data wirelessly to mobile devices. One obstacle to driving wearable electronic textiles is the bulky components needed to power them. Previously, it was difficult to add these components without harming the nature or comfort of the material.
Lead author Dr Shaila Afroj, who carried out the project during her PhD, said: "The biggest challenge in introducing a new and exciting material, such as graphene, to a very traditional and mature textile industry is the scalability of the manufacturing process. We overcome this challenge by producing graphene materials and graphene-based textiles through fast and ultra-fast production processes. It is reported that our technology to produce thousands of kilograms of graphene-based yarn in an hour is a major breakthrough in the textile industry. Dr
Nazmul Karim, lead author of the study and a researcher on knowledge exchange at the National Graphene Institute, said: "High-performance clothing is undergoing a transformation due to recent textile innovations. The textile industry is increasingly focused on utilizing the superior and versatile properties of graphene for intelligent and functional apparel applications. "We believe that our ultra-fast production process for graphene-based textiles will be an important step towards achieving the next generation of high-performance clothing."