Chemistry professor Katherine Mirica and Dartmouth former postdoctoral fellow and senior scientist at technology startup C2Sense Merry Smith have developed a conductive smart fabric capable of detecting and protecting users from toxic gases. The innovation, named “Self-Organized Framework on Textiles,” improves on a previous sensor technology-related project that Mirica and Smith previously collaborated on, Mirica said. C2Sense is a startup based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that develops gas sensors.

Smith said the she worked with Mirica during her two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the College. She initially focused on organic frameworks at the College, and Mirica worked closely with conductive nanomaterials. Smith later narrowed her interest to conductive frameworks and began working with Mirica on researching framework crystals. The scientific climate and emphasis on wearable technology led Smith and Mirica to channel their work into developing a sensory material that could someday be worn be being incorporated into clothing and other wearable items, Smith said.

Source: Gabriel Onate, The Dartmouth