Smart dyes for medical textiles

Colour Science Department, School of Chemistry, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 

Wearable technology consists of wearable electronics, a term that mainly includes simple and more complex electronic devices and their embedding within textile structures. A good example of the popularity of the research subject is the current Qualcomm Tricorder X-Prize competition for the best portable, wireless device that monitors and diagnoses health conditions (XPRIZE, 2014). Undoubtedly, as the aim is that the device monitors such elements as blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature, some of the sensors of the device will come in the form of textile-embedded electronics. 

However, the term wearable or E-textile also encompasses trivial, nonelectronics such as inks and pastes that change colour and fall under the same umbrella as the more complex electronic devices (Henry, 2009a,b IDTechEx, 2013). 

To enable the engineering of E-textiles, research in the textile sector must be focused towards the products of highly added value, development of which demands an interdisciplinary approach and collaboration of scientists across various scientific fields (Connect, 2014). Not only the end product, but the production process of the future itself has to bring technological innovations and sustainability (Parac Osterman et al., 2010) and thus form a circle in which advancements are possible whilst maintaining the balance with nature and the surroundings (Gardetti and Torres, 2013 Parac-Osterman et al., 2007). 

In that light, smart dyes fulfil all of the demands, as they enable new technologies and new application fields, while their application methods to textile materials are governed by ecologically friendly processes that have been developed for decades now (Drumond Chequer et al., 2013 Periyasamy, 2012 Pingale, 2004). 

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