Development of sustainable and biodegradable inks for e-textile printing

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Electronic textiles (E-textiles) are advanced textiles incorporating electronic functionality which can include conductive interconnects, sensors, actuators, signal processing, and wireless communications. Examples including a garment heater, light-emitting fabric, and sensing clothing to monitor health conditions (e.g. heart rate, body temperature). E-textiles have been used in many applications such as sports/fitness wear, workwear, and healthcare. E-textiles have also been identified as one of the five key technologies used in wearable technology -- a fast growing area with a market size of $81 billion in 2022 and this is projected to grow to $161 by 2033\.This project will develop sustainable inks for e-textile manufacturing by printing. Polymers will be developed from ingredients which are made from renewable sources and which biodegrade at the end of the product life cycle. The application of the inks will be demonstrated by developing a fabric-based heater on three different biodegradable textiles.The funding will enable SFI to develop new inks in collaboration with NU which has an established track record developing biodegradable polymers based on renewable sources. Project success will add new products to the company portfolio. The project will also result in a collaboration which can develop additional sustainable inks ultimately resulting in a fully sustainable and biodegradable product portfolio of inks for e-textile realisation. The new inks will underpin future application development and bring new commercial opportunities, while contributing to sustainability and net zero targets.