Final Masters Project
A new type of material that has the ability to change from different colours, designs and patterns by the command of a user.
This is a project that proposes how advances in Graphene and Photonic Crystal technology could lead to the creation of completely new colour changing yarns and textiles that could decrease our dependency on synthetic produced dyes and help to reduce the sheer volume of garments that each of us own.
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms that originate from the mineral graphite. The properties for graphene include a strength of 200x stronger than steel, a super conductor, flexibility and transparency.
Photonic crystals are natural crystals that are found in plants, animals and insects (such as butterfly wings and beetle shells) when light hits the crystals at various angles it creates their color. Photonic crystals can be synthetically created as artificial opals. Photonic crystals and artificial opals both produce structural color which is a non-pigmented form of color.
Through this project, I propose combining these two technologies to create garments which can infinitely change colour, patterns and designs at the click of a button and more importantly, can exist within a single garment.
I believe that this is all possible through a small flexible power grid that could be hidden within the garment. Not only would this provide the necessary power to enable the changing colours and patterns, but it could connect the garment to a concealed memory drive, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or a nano chip.
In order to communicate the potential of this technology to a wider public, I have proposed a series of single garments that have the potential to radically change for different situations or circumstances.
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I have collaborated with The University of Manchester in the National Graphene Institute in order to create and develop a new type of material that will increase sustainability while meeting consumer demands. I was invited to work in the lab of Nobel Dr Kostya Novoselov with Dr Novoselov’s post doc Dr Nazmul Karim in the chemistry department in order to learn how to make graphene ink or reduced graphene oxide (rGO).The material matrix I have developed consists of graphene and artificial opals. Combining these two materials creates digitized material. I have taken this material and have focused on applying it to the fashion and textile industries. Digitized material can create an infinite amount of colors, patterns and designs by the command of a user.