Colored and wearable photonics textile for textile applications

1. Color Changing Fibers
Presented by Thomas Martinuzzo
Project Leader, Sciences and Engineering
thomas.martinuzzo@univalor.ca

2. Overview
Color Changing Ph
C l Ch i Photonics Fib f T il A li i
i Fibers for Textile Applications
Seeking Partnerships in Development and Market Deployment
in Development and Market
Market : 391.7 millions by 2012 (CAGR, 2007‐2012: 37.9 %)
Inventor: Pr. Maksim Skorobogatiy, École Polytechnique de
Montreal
Mtl
Intellectual Property: US Provisional Patent Application
Intellectual Property: US Provisional Patent Application
(61/136,155)+ 1 new USPR underway on improvements

3. Conventional optical fibers a Re Cap
Conventional optical fibers a Re‐Cap
Very efficient guiding in
the fiber core, almost no
core
light escapes sideways
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_Fiber

4. Implementing colors
in woven optical fibers
Technological Problems
Emission control with geometry is complicated,
especially when the weft is used as a light-guide.
light guide
To ensure uniformity of light emission for the
textiles based on bent fibers, textile geometry has
fibers
to remain constant during wear.
SCRATCHED SURFACE The basic alternative is to scratch the fiber
surface t increase the light leakage.
f to i th li ht l k
Any notch or scratch may be too coarse; fiber can
loose the whole light power at a single or a few
points.

5. Implementing colors
in woven optical fibers
Technological Problems
Necessity of having 3 different LED color types (RGB),
hence high energy consumption, coupling complexity and
space constraints, stability of an emitted color over time
coupler RGB Fiber

6. Need better textiles and more
complex functionalities???
complex functionalities???
Go Photonic Crystal Fibers !
Go Photonic Crystal Fibers !
Use of a single white light source for color applications
Color on demand fibers
Color on demand fibers
Color changing passive fibers
On demand fiber luminosity by geometry design
• Go Photonic Crystal Fibers

7. Color on demand by fiber design
Color on demand by fiber design
coupler
l RGB Fiber
Fiber Geometry Design

8. Fusion of RGB colors for color on
demand textiles
demand textiles
Fiber
Fiber
Fiber
RGB yarns

9. Light extraction without mechanical
deformations
Photonic Crystal Fibers
confine light in a hollow or a low refractive index core by using periodic dielectric “mirror”
region which also acts as a spectral filter

10. Dielectric multilayer “mirrors” have
different colors when looked at
different colors when looked at
different angles
Fiber guiding regime Outside reflection regime

11. How to make fibers to change their
color

12. Color changing textiles
(passive technology)
Reflected light
Passive color
changing textiles
+ =
Fiber
Guided light
Fiber
Reflected light
e ected g t
Guided light
Guided light
Fiber

13. Possible Applications
Possible Applications
• Variable Colored Uniforms for enhanced
visibility in daytime
visibility in daytime
• Variable Color signs for enhanced visibility in
nighttime
• Anti‐counterfeit labels
Anti counterfeit labels
• Intelligent Jewelry

14. Thin (100‐300um) Bragg fibers in a
white silk matrix, prototype I

15. Summary
Simple Idea
Si l Id
Developed Within Academic Institution
Researchers With Industry Experience
Through Boostrapping Financing
Core IP
Various Market Segments
Looking For Partnerships in Development and Market Deployment

16. Co o c a g g be s
Color changing Fibers
Maksim Skorobogatiy
maksim.skorobogatiy@polymtl.ca
Thomas Martinuzzo
thomas.martinuzzo@univalor.ca
thomas martinuzzo@univalor ca