Try graphene, a new clothing material that can keep you cool

The textile industry is now evolving from traditional cotton and silk to new materials — graphene, for instance. The space is seeing start-ups and established textile houses, alike, jumping on the bandwagon to tap into the growing interest in the material.

Graphene is a form of carbon, whose properties can act as a filter between the body and external environment to ensure ideal temperature for the wearer. This makes it ideal in extreme temperatures, sportswear and wearables.

Bengaluru-based start-up Big Phi Technologies that makes Turmswear brand of apparels has partnered with newly-opened Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre at the University of Manchester to research on how to produce low-cost graphene.

Graphene is a multi-million dollar industry and has varied applications from aeronautics to textiles. However, the trick is to make the production cost effective to take it to larger audience.

Rohit Gupta, Co-founder and Director, Big Phi, said: “One of the pain points of graphene is that it is expensive.” One gram of graphene costs ₹3,500 — more than the cost of gold.

Nascent market

“But it has wide usage and applications. Our team has experience working in graphene and are aiming at a cost-effective level,” he said.

The UK-based clothing start-up Vollebak launched Graphene jacket worth $695. Ahmedabad-based Arvind Ltd has partnered with Directa Plus, a producer and supplier of graphene-based products, to make denim jeans and jackets that can be worn in hot climate.

Reports peg the smart textile industry globally at $100 billion by 2025. This includes wearables, nanotechnology and other advancements including graphene. Though the industry is enthusiastic, graphene as a market is too nascent and difficult to gauge.

Vineesh Chadha, President, Big Phi, said: “One of the major challenges is awareness.” However, with affordability, Chadha is confident the market will pick up in no time given the traction the industry is getting.

Health concerns

David Bradley, a science journalist, in a report, states that graphene’s properties itself are a cause for health concerns.

He quoted a research paper published in the American Chemical Society journal ACSNano, which states that In vitro tests also showed that graphene particles trigger the inflammatory response in lung cells and those found in the pleural space. However, industry experts and researchers say there are no concrete studies on the health impact of such materials.

According to a researcher in a material science space, “The field is still new and research Is ongoing. There are no concrete results.”

Gupta of Big Phi agrees. “In addition, there is no such regulatory body certifying any kind of proven toxicological tests for materials. There are contradictory statements from around the world. But people are still working on it.”

Gupta said a company can make sure they are not harmful based on the existing standards such as Oeko-Tex provided by the International Association for Research and Testing in the field of textile and leather ecology and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) by the European Union.

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