2010/01/13 > eTech France 236 > A Doctoral Candidate Awarded for Research on Nanotubes in Textiles

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		Special Feature A Doctoral Candidate Awarded for Research on Nanotubes in Textiles http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/61845.htm Third-year doctoral candidate at GEMTEX, the laboratory of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT, graduate school of textile craft and industry), Aurélie Cayla is conducting research for the European INTELTEX (INTELligent multi-reactive TEXtiles integrating nano-filter) project. Her goal is to incorporate a new carbon nanotube-based textile composite into firefighters' PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). The composite would detect extremely high hazardous temperatures for rescue workers. Last October, her research received a prize awarded by the First International Competition organized by the Théophile Legrand Foundation, Institut de France. Théophile Legran was a manufacturer who built a spinning mill in Fourmies, a small town in the Nord département in 1825, a factory that was soon to become the world's largest combed wool facility. He would certainly have been proud to see the prize bearing his name given to a young, fascinating textile enthusiast. Although Aurélie Cayla was not born into the trade, during her childhood she learned to sew and became familiar with traditional fabrics, "I inherited my passion for sewing from my grandmother," she recalled. The young woman attended the preparatory classes for the Grandes Ecoles in Clermont-Ferrand. After her studies, when Aurélie Cayla, who hails from a small Massif Central village, had to choose a school, she naturally opted for ENSAIT and textile, but traditional textile, i.e., clothing. In the course of her internships, she discovered a very different type of textile, technical textile. She then became convinced that she definitively wanted to work in this industry and express her creativity. Virtually swept off her feet by research, she attended her third year in engineering at ENSAIT and a master class on materials and textiles processes in partnership at the Lille Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), at the same time. Very Promising Results After receiving her engineering diploma and her master's degree, Aurélie Cayla began a thesis under the supervision of Eric Devaux, who heads the GEMTEX laboratory and with whom she had already worked. "I'm writing the thesis under INTELTEX, a European project coordinated by NANOCYL, a Belgian company that produces carbon nanotubes. The project, which got off the ground in 2006, brings together 23 partners, including academic laboratories and businesses, including small businesses," the young doctoral candidate explained. One of the project goals is to incorporate a new carbon nanotube-based textile composite into firefighters' Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Its purpose will be to detect temperatures that are too high and hazardous for rescue workers. "The textile composite is a mix of polymers, including one that is loaded with carbon nanotubes," she explained. In ambient temperature, the thread has some electric conductivity that changes when the temperature rises. The polymer then undergoes a phase change that causes conductivity to drop. This makes it possible to detect the temperature of the pain threshold, which has been predefined. Once the temperature falls, the conductivity of the composite returns to normal. "The reversibility works perfectly in the lab. We worked on it during a dozen cycles. Now, we have to run aging tests to check composite behavior in the long-term." Different prototype composites already work in the lab. Now they have to be transferred to industry where production speeds are completely different from lab speeds. That is why businesses working with textiles are part of the INTELTEX project. Aurélie Cayla is also tackling the optimization of some of the prototype composites. "Until now, we had numerous exchanges with other academic laboratories. However, today our exchanges are increasing with the industrial partners of the project and final users. Actually, they will have to be able to adapt their machines to our composite manufacturing requirements, according to the sought-for criteria such as thread strength. So, my last year on my thesis is entirely devoted to product industrialization," she said. Outlooks for Other Applications Although at first the composites will be for firefighters' personal protective equipment, Aurélie Cayla is already working on engineering other solutions that could be applied in environments such as the storage tanks for products with the property of igniting over a given temperature. "It's the same principle. The only thing that changes is the polymers we use, the way we mix and process them. During the numerous stages, each mix has to be accurately characterized and the right proportions have to be identified. It's fascinating work," Aurélie Cayla exclaimed. She soon will be finishing her thesis that she must defend in the autumn of 2010. What next? Perhaps teaching or research, or even both. A postdoctoral fellowship is also possible. As for the long-term, she is considering - quite seriously - the option of creating a startup! In a nutshell, not only does Aurélie Cayla have a passion for textile, but a lust for life!	>> Suivant Version imprimable >> Transmettre cette info par email >> Recommander ce site à un collègue / ami >> S'abonner au eTech France >> FAQ / foire aux questions >> Conditions d'utilisation >>


	Pour en savoir plus, contacts :	ENSAIT - Aurélie Cayla - Phone: +33 (0)3 20 25 64 64 - email: aurelie.cayla@ensait.fr - http://www.ensait.fr	Code brève ADIT : 61845

	Rédacteur :	ADIT - Jean-François Desessard - Email: jfd@adit.fr


	Origine :	eTech France numéro 236 (13/01/2010) - ADIT / ADIT - http://www.bulletins-electroniques.com/actualites/61845.htm

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