News & Events

 

Congratulations to our colleague - we wish continued success in meaningful scientific work!

 

Julija and her colleagues have developed a flexible, wearable, and washable textile that is electrically conductive, breathable, and abrasion-resistant - suitable for use in everyday clothing.

 

“What makes our textile special is the inclusion of the polymer PEDOT:PSS, which is classified as a ‘conductive dye’. Once treated with this polymer, the textile gains electrical conductivity, allowing electricity to pass through without the need for wires. Such textiles can have wide applications in fields like medicine, sports, the defense industry, and more.

 

In the future, we plan to apply this technology to wearable textile sensors embedded in clothing to monitor physiological indicators - such as glucose levels, sweat pH, blood pressure, heart rate, and other parameters. This information could be transmitted directly to physicians. Perhaps we could even incorporate artificial intelligence,” explains J. Pupeikė.

 

 

 

One of the key challenges addressed in Julija's dissertation was improving the adhesion of the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS to the textile. The results showed significantly better polymer adhesion when the fabric underwent preliminary treatment with low-temperature plasma and was coated with a mixture of the polymer and a melamine-formaldehyde resin binder with a low formaldehyde content (>1.2%).

 

“We used innovative microscopic, physicochemical, and spectroscopic methods to analyze samples coated with different PEDOT:PSS compositions and binders. The goal was to determine their morphological, chemical, physical, and electrical properties. Spectral and microscopic studies showed that plasma treatment removed fatty impurities, improving the fiber’s hydrophilicity (its ability to absorb moisture), as well as the polymer’s absorption and adhesion. At the same time, the textile’s handle (its feel when worn or touched) remained unchanged,” says the new PhD holder.

 

Julija Pupeikė has already received international recognition for her research: at the 2024 European Materials Research Society (E-MRS) symposium in Strasbourg, she was awarded for the best poster presentation.