Conductive cotton fabrics have emerged as promising platforms for advanced wearable applications, including strain sensing, electrical heating, and photothermal conversion. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by several critical limitations: dependence on petroleum-based materials, inherent hydrophilicity, and insufficient durability in practical environments. To overcome these challenges, an eco-friendly, mussel-inspired conductive coating system comprising tannic acid, cellulose nanofibers, and carbon nanotubes is developed. Through a facile dip-coating approach followed by in situ tannic acid polymerization-induced surface roughening and octadecylamine modification, a superhydrophobic conductive cotton fabric combining exceptional flexibility, breathability, and environmental stability is fabricated. The resulting superhydrophobic conductive cotton fabric demonstrates outstanding strain-sensing performance, featuring a rapid response time (127 ms) and reliable signal output over 4000 stretching cycles, capable of precisely detecting various human motions even underwater. Furthermore, the superhydrophobic conductive cotton fabric achieves impressive electrothermal (103.9 °C at 15 V) and photothermal (104.2 °C at 350 mW cm−2) conversion efficiencies with excellent temperature controllability. This multifunctional fabric presents a sustainable solution for next-generation wearable electronics and intelligent thermal management systems, addressing both environmental concerns and performance requirements for real-world applications.
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2025 The Author(s). Energy & Environmental Materials published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Zhengzhou University.
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