Coming soon: Futuristic clothing that charges iPods, phones

Washington, January 21 (ANI): Scientists have come one step closer to making tomorrow's power clothing, that charges iPods, cell phones and other electronics, a reality.

Experts in California observed an easier way of changing ordinary cotton and polyester into "conductive energy textiles", e-Textiles.

Yi Cui and colleagues explained that a new electrically-conductive ink, when applied to cotton and polyester fabrics, produced e-Textiles with an excellent ability to store electricity that may power a new generation of futuristic suits.

The fabrics retained flexibility and stretchability of regular cotton and polyester, and kept their new e-properties under conditions that simulated repeated laundering, according to the report.

The researchers said: "Wearable electronics represent a developing new class of materials with an array of novel functionalities, such as flexibility, stretchability, and lightweight, which allow for many applications and designs previously impossible with traditional electronics technology.

"High-performance sportswear, wearable displays, new classes of portable power, and embedded health monitoring systems are examples of these novel applications."

The findings appear in ACS' Nano Letters. (ANI)