A Green Electrically Conductive Textile with Tunable Piezoresistivity and Transiency

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

A green textile-based conductor with controllable electrical resistance change with deformation and transiency (i.e., dissolution in water) will be the holy grail in wearable electronics since it can satisfy divergent needs with a single solution and be sustainable simultaneously. Nevertheless, designing such material is challenging since opposite requirements shall be satisfied. To solve such a problem, cotton is functionalized using conductive inks made of graphene or carbon nanofiber, a biodegradable polyvinyl alcohol binder, and environmentally friendly solvents. The electrical resistance shows an anisotropic response to bending depending on the composition of the coating and the stress direction, functioning either as a deformable compliant electrode or a tunable piezoresistor. Indeed, it can withstand thousands of bending cycles with a change in resistance of less than 5% or change its resistance by many orders of magnitude with the same deformation thanks to the combination of cotton twill and different nanofillers. A simple modification in the binder composition adding waterborne polyurethane allows the coating to go from entirely transient in water within minutes to withstanding simulated washing cycles for hours without losing its electrical conductivity. This green versatile conductor may serve opposing needs by altering the material composition and the deformation direction.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2301542
JournalAdvanced Functional Materials
Volume33
Issue number30
Early online date25 Apr 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Jul 2023

Keywords

  • carbon nanofibers
  • graphene
  • green electronics
  • polyvinyl alcohol
  • wearable electronics

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