Textile Workshop

Bio: Dr. Henrik Sandberg is the Business Development specialist for the focus area of Flexible and Printed electronics of the Graphene Flagship. He is a principal scientist at VTT's centre for Printable and Hybrid Functionalities with a PhD in physics from Åbo Akademi University in Finland. He coordinates work on printed graphene based materials and hybrid integration, specifically targeting flexible applications such as wearable devices. He specializes in device and circuit development as well as the development of analog printing compatible processing techniques from the lab to the R2R pilot scale and on related ink development, in particular on the topics of thin film polymer transistors and circuits, organic photovoltaics and graphene applications.

Bio: Dr Tim Biemelt graduated from the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry I at TU Dresden. He then took a position as process engineer in spinning at Trevira GmbH and supervised the optimization of quality and yield of raw yarns. As RnD group leader he managed long term innovation projects product launches in areas such as innovative new materials including recyclates and bio-based raw materials. Trevira is now part of Indorama Ventures Fibers Germany GmbH where he functions as a Director for RnD filaments.

Title: Graphene based electrically conducting fibres and yarns 

Abstract: A brief presentation on the Indorama Ventures PCL company profile and the RnD environment for conductive materials will be given. Furthermore, the presentation will focus on physical characteristics of a newly developed conductive monofilament like yarn and its properties for integration into textiles as well as possibilities for connection to power sources. A classification within the “conductive fibers technology landscape” and possible application fields will be presented. 

Bio: Dr. Mykhailo Zhybak is a researcher in the field of nanomaterials, earning his Ph.D. from IMBG NAS of Ukraine in 2019. With a background in electrochemistry of nanomaterials since 2012, he has collaborated extensively with Linkˆping and Lyon universities as a visiting researcher. Driven by an interest in graphene material, his work has evolved to focus on graphene synthesis, dispersion, and groundbreaking applications, notably within textiles and graphene water-based inks. As the Chief Technology Officer at Grafren AB since 2020, he stands as a co-inventor in three global patents, solidifying his reputation as a trailblazer in advanced materials and technological innovation.

Title: How graphene makes textiles conductive - approaches, challenges and opportunities 

Abstract: Creating electrically conductive textiles has been a longstanding endeavor within the industry, harboring immense potential for diverse applications. However, traditional methods of achieving conductivity through coatings have introduced undesirable side effects like increased weight, unsustainable additives, allergens, and process & materials incompatibility. This necessitates a novel approach, and graphene material emerges as a promising contender.

Grafren AB has pioneered an innovative technique involving single-layer graphene-based inks and their application in textile coating. The method involves attaching graphene flakes to individual fabric fibers at a nanoscale level, fostering nanoscale overlap to establish an integrated, electrically conductive network within the textile substrate. This network attains a remarkable sheet resistance as low as 10 Ohm/□. Remarkably, the graphene coating's weight remains exceptionally low, ranging between 1 to 3 g/m², setting a benchmark for lightweight conductive coatings in textiles. 

Illustratively, this approach distinguishes itself markedly from conventional ink-based solutions, as depicted in the accompanying figure. Such graphene-coated textiles offer transformative possibilities across various sectors. Applications spanning flexible wearables' electrodes and heaters, space electronics' electromagnetic shielding and heat management, de-icing systems for electric aviation, and wind power generators stand to benefit significantly from this innovative paradigm. The potential impact extends to a reduction of up to 99% in coating weight, thereby enhancing cost-effectiveness, and broadening the horizon of industrial possibilities. 

Bio: After studying mathematics and computer science at the University of Hamburg and more than 20 years in industry as a system developer, product and project manager and management consultant, Andreas Röpert led the "Wearable Technology Solutions" division of Infineon Technologies AG in 2005 as part of a management buy-in became independent as Interactive Wear AG. He has been a member of the scientific advisory boards of ITA at RWTH Aachen University and TITV Greiz for several years.

Bio: Neil has a BSc in Physics and a PhD in semiconductor material analysis. After completing his PhD his technical career took him to Japan where he worked for four years at the Advanced Technology Research Centre of Nippon Steel Corporation in their electronic materials facility. After returning to the UK in 1995 he joined Europe’s largest printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing facility in the North East of England. He remained there for more than 10 years, participated in a management buyout and became Technical Director. In 2006 he co-founded Printed Electronics Limited (PEL) which started its operation in Cambridge UK and subsequently moved to Tamworth in the Midlands. Neil is an active member of the global Printed Electronics and wider electronics community and teaches industrial courses on material deposition and printed electronics at highly respected international conferences. He has contributed a book chapter in Inkjet Technology for Digital Fabrication as well as continued industrial collaboration with university partners where he has co-authored papers in the field of additive manufacturing with printed electronics. He has been on the organising committees of a number of international conferences. He has led PEL’s participation in UK and EU projects in the field of printable electronics.

Abstract: PEL has led a work package in WP9 creating a demonstrator for wearable electronics. The demonstrator is a T shirt that contains a high-performance EGC module together with Graphene-based dry electrodes and flexible conductive traces embedded into the fabric of the shirt. In creating the demonstrator it was the aim to produce a well-designed and desirable garment that could have potential after the completion of the project. It has been a challenge to utilise graphene in all areas that were initially envisaged for the demonstrator, especially in relation to printable formulations. In the presentation we will cover the main challenges and summarise the results. The completed T shirt is being shown at the GW event.
The partners in this WP are Interactive Wear and VTT.

Bio: Ting is one of the material and organic electronic experts within RISE AB. Ting identified industrial potential of graphene textile sensor application in medical area together with project partners.

Title: Evaluation of long-term properties of graphene-based textile pressure sensors

Abstract: We have investigated the performances of using graphene based, textile pressure sensors in selected products including hospital mattresses, wheelchair cushions and related accessories. The ability of these type of products to offer a favorable pressure distribution is of great importance, both from a comfort and a health perspective, and by monitoring the pressure between a user and the contact surface, hazardous and/or unpleasant pressure conditions can be more easily discovered and prevented (eg by exchanging the product to a more suitable one or initiating a position change). Hence, such functionalities give large potential benefits, both for the user (health and comfort) and the producers (competitive and thereby commercial benefits). Graphene based sensors offers several advantages compared to alternative sensor materials including large design flexibility, cost effectivity and environmentally friendly. In this project the long-term accuracy and reliability was investigated both in the lab and under real user conditions in the intended application environments. The consortium has graphene sensor manufacturer Grafren AB, the electronics consultant company NEP AB, the medical devices producers Järven health care (medical mattress) and ETAC AB (wheelchair) and another (anonymous) Swedish company. The outcome of the project will facilitate the commercialization of the graphene sensor with identified end-product producers, although more development work is required before commercialization.