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Development of Thermochromic Pigment Based Sportswear for Detection of Physical Exhaustion
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Development of Thermochromic Pigment Based Sportswear for Detection of Physical Exhaustion

Alicia Potuck, Sarah Meyers, Ariana Levitt, Eric Beaudette, Hong Xiao, C. C. Chu, Huiju Park and Annette Shandler Levitt
Fashion practice, v 8(2), pp 279-295
01 Jan 2016

Abstract

Arts & Humanities Arts & Humanities - Other Topics Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Endurance athletes face a complex array of physiological changes as their skin temperature rises during vigorous exercise. Since endurance athletes do not typically have fiscally feasible and straightforward real-time physiological monitoring (outside of complex Bluetooth and wireless connectivity linking their heart rate, pulse oximetry, etc. to electronic databases), exercise reaching high levels of physical exhaustion is of great concern. To aid in easy and visual determination of physical exhaustion, thermochromic pigments were applied to Nylon/spandex fabric, using pigment activation temperature as an - indication for exhaustion. Thermochromic pigments were chosen because these microcapsules contain leuco dyes capable of changing chemical structure to alter the dye molecule absorbance, leading to a visual tool for skin temperature indication. Each pigment was chosen to activate at a targeted physiological skin temperature range between 33 and 38 degrees C. Nylon/spandex was chosen for high wearer comfort and excellent garment/skin contact. This technology was coupled with conventional textiles to create smart apparel with satisfactory abrasion and color fastness capabilities. Using targeted placement of thermochromic panels in garment construction, a garment capable of serving as a "warning light" for physical exhaustion in athletes was created.

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17 citations in Scopus

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#7 Affordable and Clean Energy

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
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