The job of apparently trying to check for leaks in a water treatment plant is clearly tough, and the good news is that an ongoing study at the University of Washington is expected to be substantially simplified because they have invented a technology that can sense Water conductive paper. A student team led by Professor Anthony Dichiara, using materials from traditional papermaking techniques, incorporated ordinary carbon fibers with highly conductive carbon nanotubes, although the initial goal was only to make conductive paper However, this kind of conductive paper has also been found to have other uses.
Professor Anthony Dichiara's hand is a piece of 'conductive paper' samples
When the paper is inadvertently exposed to water droplets, its fibers swell to three times normal, while displaced nanotubes can destroy the current through the paper. As a result, The LED light is off too.
Interestingly, when the paper is dry, its conductive network will be restored, so this conductive paper can be reused many times.
The team now envisions using it for plumbing in industrial environments to determine where there is broken fluid and, if integrated with the alarm system, the technicians at the central control station will be notified in good time.
Details of the study have been published in the recently published Journal of Materials Chemistry A journal.
