Graphene-based end-of-life sensors for fire protective fabrics

在过去的五十年里，高性能纤维已经被开发出来，用于制造防火服装。这些纤维表现出高机械性能，并耐化学物质、火灾和高温。然而，随着时间的推移，材料在其生命周期中所暴露的各种条件会降低它们的性能。此外，破坏性测试显示，在肉眼可见任何恶化迹象之前，性能已有相当大的损失。目前，还没有一种无损技术来评估在役材料的剩余性能。因此，暴露在高温和火焰中的工人无法知道他们的衣服是否仍然能够保护他们免受与任务相关的危险。在这种背景下，石墨烯为制造织物寿命终结传感器开辟了一系列新的可能性。为该项目选择的途径依赖于将石墨烯与对高性能纤维的老化条件敏感的化合物结合而产生的导电轨道，即热、紫外线和湿度。当接触到这些老化剂中的一种足以导致防火织物进入不安全范围时，化合物会降解，导致石墨烯导电轨道破裂。作为定期评估的一部分，将测量与不同老化剂对应的防火衣物上传感器轨道的电导率，以此作为要求暴露在高温和火焰中的工人对其防护设备进行检查的定期评估的一部分。这一创新项目利用了PI在防护材料老化方面的互补专业知识，以及共同PI在基于纳米技术的功能聚合物材料和装置设计方面的专业知识。在价值链上分布的四家纺织制造商和一家石墨烯生产商的支持下，这将在可能暴露在高温和火焰中的工人的安全方面取得重大突破，并为加拿大纺织品制造商带来新的产品开发机会。它还将在一个非常多学科的环境中提供HQP的培训。

High performance fibers have been developed over the last fifty years for the manufacture of fire protective clothing. These fibres display high mechanical performance and are resistant to chemicals, fire, and high temperatures. However, the various conditions the materials are exposed to during their lifetime reduce their performance over time. In addition, destructive testing has shown considerable loss in performance before any sign of deterioration is visible to the naked eye. Currently, no non-destructive technique is available to assess the residual performance of the materials in service. Thus, workers at risk of heat and flame exposure have no way of knowing if their clothing is still able to protect them from the hazards associated with their tasks. In that context, graphene is opening a new range of possibilities for the manufacture of end-of-life sensors for fabrics. The avenue selected for this project relies on conductive tracks produced by combining graphene with compounds that are sensitive to aging conditions of high performance fibers, i.e. heat, UV, and moisture. Upon reaching a certain level of exposure to one of these aging agents sufficient to cause the fire protective fabric to enter an unsafe range, the compound degrades, causing a rupture in the graphene conductive track. The measurement of the electrical conductivity of the sensor tracks on the fire protective clothing corresponding to the different aging agents would be conducted as part of the regular assessment that workers at risk of heat and flame exposure are required to do of their protective equipment. This innovative project draws on the complementary expertise of the PI on the aging of protective materials and co-PI on the design of nanotechnology-based functional polymer materials and devices. With the support of four textile manufacturers distributed along the value chain as well as a graphene producer, it will lead to a major breakthrough in terms of safety for workers potentially exposed to heat and flame as well as to new product development opportunities for Canadian textile manufacturers. It will also provide training of HQPs in a very multidisciplinary environment.