Polyester fabric impregnated with carbon nanotubes directly to form a flexible heating fabric

Abstract

In order to solve the problems of complex fabrication process, poor flexibility and high cost of heating element in electric heating clothing, a method of preparing flexible heating fabric by directly impregnating polyester fabric with carbon nanotube was proposed. According to the process flow of preparing flexible heating fabric, the process conditions of uniform loading carbon nanotubes on polyester fabric were determined, the flexible heating fabric was prepared under different process conditions, and the surface microstructure of the flexible heating fabric was observed and its heating performance was tested. The results show that the pretreatment process can reduce the resistance value of the flexible heating fabric. When the concentration of carbon nanotubes is 6wt% and the content of waterborne polyurethane is 35g/L, the flexible heating fabric can be prepared. By observing the surface micro-topography, it can be seen that the surface of the prepared flexible heating fabric is smooth, and a uniform conductive layer of carbon nanotubes is formed on the fabric. A 5V DC voltage was applied to the prepared flexible heating fabric, and the highest heating temperature was 46.8°C within 62 seconds after the electricity was turned on, which realized rapid electric heating and uniform heating, laying a foundation for the subsequent development of heating clothing.