Creating Smart and Functional Textile Materials with Graphene

The research and development of graphene-based materials are happening at an intense pace due to their extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Their high electronic mobility, high thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, photoluminescence, among others, made them a wonder material in several research fields. The textile community is aware of this evolution and, therefore, is also taking advantage of the properties of these graphene-based materials for the development of textiles with functionalities that include UV protection, antistatic, antibacterial, photoluminescent finishes, improvement of mechanical properties, flexible supercapacitors, sensors, etc. In this context, this chapter aims to address the main concepts, applications, and perspectives on the application of graphene-based material in the textile area. We will mainly focus on the progressing research using graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs).