Workouts can be exhausting or rejuvenating, depending on how you feel, however, one thing surely remains constant -- the hatred for sweating. Sure, sweating is synonymous with the burning of fats and by extension getting closer to your fitness goals, however, it can really get annoying.?
However, now researchers at the National University of Singapore have developed a special film that instantly evaporates the sweat off the skin and this can even be used to convert into electricity.
Reported first in journal Nano Energy, the film is made using two hygroscopic materials (materials that absorb moisture) -- cobalt chloride and ethanolamine. Early experiments have revealed that the new film instantaneously absorbs underarm sweat and prevents it from reaching the fabric of the clothing.?
In fact, the new moisture-absorbing film takes in 15 times more moisture than conventional materials and does it six times faster. Moreover, the film also changes its colour from blue to purple to pink, indicating the moisture retention level.?
Team leader Tan Swee Ching explained, ¡°When water is evaporated from the skin surface, it lowers the skin temperature and we feel cooler. In our new invention, we created a novel film that is extremely effective in evaporating sweat from our skin and then absorbing the moisture from sweat.¡±
Tan added, ¡°Underarm sweating is embarrassing and frustrating, and this condition contributes to the growth of bacteria and leads to unpleasant body odour. Accumulation of perspiration in the shoes could give rise to health problems such as blisters, calluses, and fungal infections.¡±
What¡¯s more, is that this film can also help power electronic devices by converting moisture into energy. For this, they developed a new wearable energy harvesting device that consists of eight cells with each capable of producing around half a volt of energy after it¡¯s done absorbing moisture. This is as of now capable of powering an LED bulb.
The technology is still at a proof-of-concept stage and they hope that one day this can be used to power fitness tracking devices.?