Flexible Threads Turn Clothing into Radiation Detectors ⚡ экспресс
Scientists have created flexible fibers that, like tiny sensors, feel radiation and can be woven into clothing. They pick up even weak gamma radiation close to natural background levels and turn fabric into a living hazard map. Imagine a work suit that warns you of danger on its own—this is a step towards widespread nuclear safety.
Inside an ultra-thin polymer thread are microscopic crystals—scintillators. When an invisible radioactive particle hits, they flash for a moment, like fireflies. A sensitive sensor catches each flash, turning the thread into a flexible detector.
Tests with strontium-90, cesium-137, and cobalt-60 showed that the fabric even senses natural background radiation. To boost the signal, tungsten and merino wool were added to the braid—this unexpected pairing of metal with soft wool increased sensitivity by 20%. Tungsten converts gamma rays into a shower of electrons, which the crystals catch more readily. This also helps distinguish types of radiation, paving the way for portable studies of fundamental particles and smart clothing that warns of danger at nuclear power plants and in radiation therapy.
🎯 The first radiation detectors used by [scientist:Marie Curie]Marie Curie[/scientist] and [scientist:Ernest Rutherford]Ernest Rutherford[/scientist] required entire laboratories. Now you can wear a detector like a sweater.
🎬 Isaac Asimov's Foundation series mentions personal dosimeters, but fabric detectors are now a reality.