Color-changing fibers for wound healing
The smart bandage improves wound supervision by communicating healing problems, such as infection. Developed by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, the dressing consists of a fiber with an internal sensory layer of thermochromic liquid crystalline. When illuminated by white light, the reflected color of the crystals changes, enhancing the contrast of the filamentary core. The fiber color gradient operates within a range of 77 to 113ºF (25 to 45ºC) and changes hue with temperature shifts as small as 0.9ºF (0.5ºC). The bandage can thus indicate the development of an infection that would otherwise present few visual cues in its formative stages. This accurate monitoring capability ensures that wound dressings need not be disturbed unless a problem arises.
Contact: CSIRO, Dickson, Australia.
For more information, see Transmaterial Next: A Catalog of Materials that Redefine Our Future
