Abstract
In the present study, cotton (Co) and polyester (PES) fabrics were screen-printed with a conductive poly3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) printing paste along with a commercially-available screen-printing binder (SFXC) or waterborne polyurethane resin (WPU), in order to enhance wash and wear durability, and to improve some functional properties, without essentially influencing the physical–mechanical properties of the base material, as well as the introduced fabrics’ conductivity. The application of a conductive polymer coating reduced transmittance in the whole UV region drastically, indicating good UV-shielding ability in the treated fabrics. Moreover, the employed binders improved the fabrics’ protection against harmful solar UV radiation significantly, depending on the type of fibre and binder. Furthermore, the SFXC binder intensified the hydrophobicity of Co as compared to the WPU binder, and, on the other hand, WPU reduced the hydrophobicity of PES. Finally, the screen-printed fabrics were washed up to 20 cycles and rubbed up to 20,000 cycles, and characterised by means of mass loss determination and electrical resistivity measurement. Both binders enlarged polymer stability against the effect of washing and rubbing, depending on the number of cycles, the type and amount of employed binder, the type of fibres, and the thickness and uniformity of coatings.
Highlights
The industrial and scientific community has recently been showing a growing interest in the field of conductive textiles that, in convergence with electronics, is leading to the development of smart or electronic textiles (E-Textiles), which could be used for diverse application fields, e.g., in healthcare, security, entertainment, space exploration, sports and consumer fitness fields, etc. [1,2], with the aim to serve and facilitate our lives
Polymers 2020, 12, 2356 skin irritation and long-term toxicity in direct contact with the skin [8]. They can be applied on a larger surface area with potential applications for sensors, thermoelectrics, thermocouples, antennae, wearable electronics, and displays such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), radio frequency identification tags (RFIDs), electromagnetic shielding, high surface area electrodes for capacitors and/or batteries, etc. [7,8,9], they have a remarkably lower conductivity compared to, e.g., electroless copper-plated textiles [10]
With the the aim aim of the role screen-printed without without or or together together with individual binder on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic features of fabrics, coated with individual binder on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic features of Co and PES fabrics, coated samples samples were evaluated via the sessile drop technique using a goniometer set-up, from which the were evaluated via the sessile drop technique using a goniometer set-up, from which the Water Contact Angle (WCA)
Summary
The industrial and scientific community has recently been showing a growing interest in the field of conductive textiles that, in convergence with electronics, is leading to the development of smart or electronic textiles (E-Textiles), which could be used for diverse application fields, e.g., in healthcare, security, entertainment, space exploration, sports and consumer fitness fields, etc. [1,2], with the aim to serve and facilitate our lives. Employment of conductive polymers for the fabrication of flexible and wearable electronics has some advantages over the aforementioned techniques, such as being lightweight, having low processing temperatures, low cost, stretchability, foldability, good adhesion to diverse substrates, and compatibility with various processing techniques [6,7]. Unlike the metals, they do not cause. Two different binders, i.e., a commercially available screen-printing binder and selected waterborne polyurethane resin, were admixed into printing paste to enlarge polymer stability Both binders meet specific requirements including reasonable price, wide industrial applicability, low environmental impact, good compatibility with different chemicals, and good adhesion on diverse types of textile materials. Samples were further washed up to 20 cycles and rubbed up to 20,000 cycles, and electrical resistivity and mass loss were determined, with the aim of assessing the wash and wear resistivities of the polymer deposit
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