Printing and characterising carbon-based inks on textiles for wearable technology

This project focuses on the problem of cold intolerance in the workplace. Cold intolerance manifests itself primarily in the hands through pain, numbness, stiffness and color changes, and can also lead to loss of dexterity, discomfort and dysesthesia. This can lead to cessation of activities or career changes to sectors with more tolerable and warmer environments for the affected individuals. One effective means of prevention is the use of heated gloves. The current range on the market, aimed primarily at the winter leisure and outdoor sports market, is not adapted to working conditions and the handling of vibrating tools. This is reflected, for example, in the deterioration of heating elements and connections between electronic components, which break down in fatigue under the effect of vibrations. In the absence of satisfactory solutions adapted to working conditions, the aim of this project is to develop and explore the potential of heated gloves, based on recent advances in printable electronics, to provide a technological solution to the problem of cold intolerance in the workplace.

As a first step, the research team will develop prototypes of heated gloves using electronic textile printing techniques. To determine the best printing parameters, printing tests combining the use of carbon-based inks with prior plasma treatment of the textile will be carried out. Heating elements will then be designed and integrated into gloves using flexible control cards and associated specific connectivity.

On this research master's project, your main responsibilities will be (1) to carry out systematic printing tests using flat-bed screen printing on various textile substrates; (2) to optimize the printing process by adjusting the different parameters; (3) to characterize the printed samples using optical methods (SEM, optical microscopy, etc.. ), electrical measurements (4-point probe), or assessing mechanical durability (washing, abrasion, fatigue); and finally (4) analyzing and concluding on the impact of printing parameters on textile adhesion, resistivity and flexibility.

In terms of results, your work should enable the research team to identify the optimum conditions for printing. This will be based on a detailed analysis of the parameters tested and their correlations.

Your results are expected to be published in international conferences and journals.