Abstract
The smart textiles and wearable technology markets are expanding tirelessly, looking for efficient solutions to create long-lasting products. The research towards novel integration methods and increasing reliability of wearables and electronic textiles (e-textiles) is expanding. One obstacle to be tackled is the washability and the endurance to mechanical stresses in the washing machine. In this article, different layering of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films and knit fabrics are used to integrate three different designs of stretchable copper-based meander tracks with printed circuit boards. The various combinations are washed according to the ISO 6330-2012 standard to analyze their endurance. Results suggest that one meander design withstands more washing cycles and indicate that the well-selected layer compositions increase the reliability. Higher stretchability together with greater durability is accomplished by adding an extra meander-shaped TPU film layer.
Highlights
Background and IntroductionElectronic textiles (e-textiles) can be categorized as wearable technology, finding applications in many appliances, such as interactive clothing or wearable sensors for sports and healthcare.McLuhan [1] mentioned in 1964 how “the computer is the most extraordinary of man’s technological clothing” by suggesting that it can be “extension of our nervous-system”
This study focuses on improving the integration of flexible and stretchable electronics in knit fabrics by lamination with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) films
The correct choice of textile materials for creating e-textiles is critical for their usability: since these materials are the main carriers of the electronics in the product the lifetime of the e-textiles may be strongly reduced by a mismatch between the material properties of the textile materials and those of the electronics
Summary
Background and IntroductionElectronic textiles (e-textiles) can be categorized as wearable technology, finding applications in many appliances, such as interactive clothing or wearable sensors for sports and healthcare.McLuhan [1] mentioned in 1964 how “the computer is the most extraordinary of man’s technological clothing” by suggesting that it can be “extension of our nervous-system”. Mark Weiser [2] discussed further in 1991, where the author stated “the most profound technologies are those that disappear”. Both authors’ common idea was how technology “weaves itself into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it”. The main idea of wearable computing was to bring everyday technology, such as cellphone, personal music system (e.g., Walkman, CD-player), etc., to a single unit, possibly improving personal health monitoring with sensors (e.g., heart rate check, respiration rate, etc.) and decreasing crime by being “a seamless extension of the body and mind” [5]
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