Environmentally Friendly Protective Coating for Electrically Conductive Yarns Using in Smart Textiles

Abstract:

Current research focuses on advancements and breakthroughs in the realm of smart textiles, with applications spanning various industries such as medicine and education. For producing flexible smart textiles, electrically conductive yarns (EC) are needed to transmit signals or as part of sensor systems. Mostly, these EC consist of a polymer core with an outer metallized layer. Using EC in contact with skin requires high reliability and safety, and thus, the EC must maintain their functional properties on a long-term scale under a range of different stresses. The electrical properties of EC deteriorate under mechanical stress applied during production or in-use through damage to the yarn’s surface. At present, there are only partially feasible solutions to protect the metal-layer of the yarn surface. Hence, this paper presents a newly developed non-toxic coating (NTC) to protect the EC surface. The NTC consists of an aqueous emulsion with polypropylene wax and oxidized wax. To determine the long-term stability of the coating, the produced yarns undergo comprehensive evaluation using a range of analytical techniques. The aim is to identify the optimal coating by exploring different equipment and parameters. Additionally, it is various test methods to gauge the durability of the newly developed NTC used and ensure its reliability over time. To characterize the yarn properties before and after the coating, light microscopy (LM), washing processes, mechanical resistance tests and resistivity measurement are conducted.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 977)
• Pages: 35-42
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-ah5MGX
• Online since: March 2024
• Authors: Carola H. Böhmer*, Mareen N. Warncke, Philippa Ruth Christine Böhnke, Andreas Nocke, Johannes Mersch, Iris Kruppke, Chokri Cherif
• Keywords: Finishing, Mechanical Impact, Smart Textiles, Textile Sensor, Wearables

References

[1] Angelucci, A.; Cavicchioli, M.; Cintorrino, I. A.; Lauricella, G.; Rossi, C.; Strati, S.; Aliverti, A.: Smart Textiles and Sensorized Garments for Physiological Monitoring: A Review of Available Solutions and Techniques. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) 21(2021)3

DOI: 10.3390/s21030814

[2] Ismar, E.; Kurşun Bahadir, S.; Kalaoglu, F.; Koncar, V.: Futuristic Clothes: Electronic Textiles and Wearable Technologies. Global challenges (Hoboken, NJ) 4(2020)7, S. 1900092.

DOI: 10.1002/gch2.201900092

[3] Anita Vogl; Patrick Parzer; Teo Babic; Joanne Leong; Alex Olwal; Michael Haller: StretchEBand: Enabling Fabric-Based Interactions through Rapid Fabrication of Textile Stretch Sensors. 2017.

DOI: 10.1145/3025453.3025938

[4] Islam, G. M. Nazmul; Collie, S.; Qasim, M.; Ali, M. Azam: Highly Stretchable and Flexible Melt Spun Thermoplastic Conductive Yarns for Smart Textiles. Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) 10(2020)12

DOI: 10.3390/nano10122324

[5] Onggar, T.; Kruppke, I.; Cherif, C.: Techniques and Processes for the Realization of Electrically Conducting Textile Materials from Intrinsically Conducting Polymers and Their Application Potential. Polymers 12(2020)12

DOI: 10.3390/polym12122867

[6] Kim, I.; Shahariar, H.; Ingram, W. F.; Zhou, Y.; Jur, J. S.: Inkjet Process for Conductive Patterning on Textiles: Maintaining Inherent Stretchability and Breathability in Knit Structures. Advanced Functional Materials 29(2019)7, S. 1807573.

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201807573

[7] Gaubert, V.; Gidik, H.; Bodart, N.; Koncar, V.: Investigating the Impact of Washing Cycles on Silver-Plated Textile Electrodes: A Complete Study. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) 20(2020)6

DOI: 10.3390/s20061739

[8] Wieczorek, F.; Winger, H.; Böhnke, P. Ruth Christine; Wagner, J.; Häntzsche, E.; Nocke, A.; Kruppke, I.; Cherif, C.: Novel Knitting Vision - Modern Ways for Integral Knitting of Intelligent Gloves for Tactile Internet Applications. Solid State Phenomena 333(2022), S. 39–46.

DOI: 10.4028/p-5zh70u

[9] Ismar, E.; Zaman, S. uz; Tao, X.; Cochrane, C.; Koncar, V.: Effect of Water and Chemical Stresses on the Silver Coated Polyamide Yarns. Fibers and Polymers 20(2019)12, S. 2604–2610.

DOI: 10.1007/s12221-019-9266-4

[10] Baribina, N.; Baltina, I.; Oks, A.: Application of Additional Coating for Conductive Yarns Protection against Washing. Key Engineering Materials 762(2018), S. 396–401.

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/kem.762.396

[11] Alagirusamy, R.; Eichhoff, J.; Gries, T.; Jockenhoevel, S.: Coating of conductive yarns for electro-textile applications. Journal of the Textile Institute 104(2013)3, S. 270–277.

DOI: 10.1080/00405000.2012.719295

[12] A . Raja, G. Thilagavathi, Kannaian T.: Synthesis of spray dried polyvinyl pyrrolidone coated silver nanopowder and its application on wool and cotton for microbial resistance. Indian Journal of Fibre & Textile Resear 35(2010)1, S. 59–64.

[13] Böhnke, P. Ruth Christine; Winger, H.; Wieczorek, F.; Warncke, M.; Lüneburg, L. Marie; Kruppke, I.; Nocke, A.; Häntzsche, E.; Cherif, C.: Protective Coating for Electrically Conductive Yarns for the Implementation in Smart Textiles. Solid State Phenomena 333(2022), S. 11–20.

DOI: 10.4028/p-9q3n92

[14] Norm 16812 2016. Textilien und textile Erzeugnisse- Elektrisch leitfähige Textilien – Bestimmung des linearen elektrischen Widerstands von Leiterbahnen.

DOI: 10.31030/2358969

[15] Warncke, M.; Böhnke, P.; Gracova, A.; Nocke, A.; Cherif, C.: Development of test method for the characterization of electrically conductive yarns for integration in smart textiles: Łódź University of Technology Press, 2022.