[url]http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130520163634.htm[/url]
[QUOTE][B]Waterproof fabrics that whisk away sweat could be the latest application of microfluidic technology developed by bioengineers at the University of California, Davis.[/B]
The new fabric works like human skin, forming excess sweat into droplets that drain away by themselves, said inventor Tingrui Pan, professor of biomedical engineering. One area of research in Pan's Micro-Nano Innovations Laboratory at UC Davis is a field known as microfluidics, which focuses on making "lab on a chip" devices that use tiny channels to manipulate fluids. Pan and his colleagues are developing such systems for applications like medical diagnostic tests.
Graduate students Siyuan Xing and Jia Jiang developed a new textile microfluidic platform using hydrophilic (water-attracting) threads stitched into a highly water-repellent fabric. They were able to create patterns of threads that suck droplets of water from one side of the fabric, propel them along the threads and expel them from the other side.
"We intentionally did not use any fancy microfabrication techniques so it is compatible with the textile manufacturing process and very easy to scale up," said Xing, lead graduate student on the project.
It's not just that the threads conduct water through capillary action. The water-repellent properties of the surrounding fabric also help drive water down the channels. Unlike conventional fabrics, the water-pumping effect keeps working even when the water-conducting fibers are completely saturated, because of the sustaining pressure gradient generated by the surface tension of droplets.
The rest of the fabric stays completely dry and breathable. By adjusting the pattern of water-conducting fibers and how they are stitched on each side of the fabric, the researchers can control where sweat is collected and where it drains away on the outside.[/QUOTE]
News from my town, and it isn't about cows? I'm impressed.
[quote]They were able to create patterns of threads that suck droplets of water from one side of the fabric, propel them along the threads and expel them from the other side.[/quote]
So you'll end up with one wet side and the rest dry ?
I can't quite see the use.
There are already really good clothes for 'wicking away' the sweat.
[QUOTE=Chryseus;40727085]So you'll end up with one wet side and the rest dry ?
I can't quite see the use.[/QUOTE]
...to move sweat away from the body to the outside of your clothing?
[QUOTE=Chryseus;40727085]So you'll end up with one wet side and the rest dry ?
I can't quite see the use.[/QUOTE]
Please go for a run wearing all cotton or wool and tell me how awesome it was.
[QUOTE=Chryseus;40727085]So you'll end up with one wet side and the rest dry ?
I can't quite see the use.[/QUOTE]
the fabric doesn't absorb the water. so yes, it is moved to the outside out of fabric, but it will just drip off rather than soak in.
Can it dry piss?
[QUOTE=Schmaaa;40727328]the fabric doesn't absorb the water. so yes, it is moved to the outside out of fabric, but it will just drip off rather than soak in.[/QUOTE]
local councils save a fortune as joggers replace park sprinklers
Imagine those people who can't help but sweat profusely during physical activity... now imagine them jogging up and down your streets, leaving long trails of sweat everywhere. Now imagine hundreds or thousands of them in a massive marathon event, sweating all at once in concert, providing a sight that is both horrible, yet beautiful in itself. The muffled cries of a thousand innocent children will be mercilessly swept over by a tide of smelly, sticky sweat.
[QUOTE=Megafan;40726208]News from my town, and it isn't about cows? I'm impressed.[/QUOTE]
funny how both Davis and Merced have cows on some of their shirts, yet Davis tries to deny any connection to UC Merced what so ever.
Anywho this would be great in electronics and would help a little in what I'm working on in Merced.
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