Scientists develop colour-changing elastomer fibres for smart clothes

Luxembourg – Scientists at the University of Luxembourg have developed elastomeric fibres for clothing that can change visual appearance with the physical movement of the body.

Cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer (CLCE) is a structurally coloured polymer system capable of changing its colour by mechanical deformation, said a university statement 17 Oct.

The effect is achieved through the coupling of colour of helically aligned liquid crystal molecules and the viscoelasticity of rubber, explained the research team led by professor Jan Lagerwall, Dr. Yong Geng and Rijeesh Kizhakidathazhath.

The CLCE fibres, said the university statement, can be easily sewn into the fabric, creating a mechanoresponsive material that can be used in a broad range of applications in the beauty and health industries.

The team, whose research was published in the Nature magazine, said they had developed “a simple and scalable method” to pull out fibres from CLCE precursor solution by adjusting the viscoelasticity of the solution.

The colour of the fibres shifts continuously and reversibly from red to blue upon stretching.

The team also demonstrated the robustness of the CLCE fibres in garments by subjecting them to repeated stretching, machine washing and abrasion.

“The fibres remain colourful and mechanoresponsive,” said the university statement.

“Such robust and colour-changing fibres open up numerous applications in wearable technology and other areas benefiting from autonomous strain sensing or detection of critically strong deformations,” it added.