Imagine plugging a USB port into a sheet of paper, and turning it into a tablet computer. It might be a stretch, but ideas like this have researchers at North Carolina State University examining the use of conductive nanocoatings on simple textiles -- like woven cotton or even a sheet of paper. “Normally, conductive nanocoatings are applied to inorganic materials like silicon. If we can find a way to apply them to textiles -- cheap, flexible materials with a contorted surface texture -- it would represent a cost-effective approach and framework for improving current and future types of electronic devices,” says Dr. Jesse Jur, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science, and lead author of a paper describing the research.
