Scalable Process to Develop Durable Conductive Cotton Fabric

Abstract

Developing a scalable process is critical to manufacture conductive fabric for commercial applications. This paper describes a scalable coating process that is compatible with existing industrial finishing processes of fabrics. In this process, the fabric is continuously dipped in water-based metal salt and the reducing agent solution to impart conductive particles on the fiber surface. After 10 consecutive cycles of dip coating, the fabric shows 6 Ω/in. of resistance. The process is tuned to minimize process cost and material cost, and maximize the durability of the fabric. This paper also introduces an easy protective coating technique of the conductive fabric that improves the durability of the conductive fabric without sacrificing the comfort properties of textile fabrics such as breathability and flexibility. The encapsulated conductive fabric shows good air-permeability and it is 6.96 cm³/cm²/s. Moreover, the conductivity of the encapsulated fabric is quite stable after four accelerated washing cycles. Additionally, the fabric remains conductive on the surfaces and is suitable for using as a conductive track and connectors.