Electrically conducting fibres for e-textiles: An open playground for conjugated polymers and carbon nanomaterials
Review article, 2018

Conducting fibres and yams promise to become an essential part of the next generation of wearable electronics that seamlessly integrate electronic function into one of the most versatile and most widely used form of materials: textiles. This review explores the many types of conducting fibres and yarns that can be realised with conjugated polymers and carbon materials, including carbon black, carbon nanotubes and graphene. We discuss how the interplay of materials properties and the chosen processing technique lead to fibres with a wide range of electrical and mechanical properties. Depending on the choice of conjugated polymer, carbon nanotube, graphene, polymer blend, or nanocomposite the electrical conductivity can vary from less than 10(-3) to more than 10(3) S cm(-1), accompanied by an increase in Young's modulus from 10 s of MPa to 100 s of GPa. Further, we discuss how conducting fibres can be integrated into electronic textiles (e-textiles) through e.g. weaving and knitting. Then, we provide an overview of some of the envisaged functionalities, such as sensing, data processing and storage, as well as energy harvesting e.g. by using the piezoelectric, thermoelectric, triboelectric or photovoltaic effect. Finally, we critically discuss sustainability aspects such as the supply of materials, their toxicity, the embodied energy of fibre and textile production and recyclability, which currently are not adequately considered but must be taken into account to ready carbon based conducting fibres for truly practical e-textile applications.

Graphene

Conducting fibres

Carbon nanotubes

Conjugated polymers

Nanocomposites

E-textiles

Author

Anja Lund

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Natascha M. van der Velden

Delft University of Technology

Nils-Krister Persson

University of Borås

Mahiar M. Hamedi

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)

Christian Müller

Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Applied Chemistry

Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports

0927-796X (ISSN)

Vol. 126 1-29

Woven and 3D-Printed Thermoelectric Textiles (ThermoTex)

European Research Council (ERC) (637624), 2015-06-01 -- 2020-06-30.

Subject Categories

Textile, Rubber and Polymeric Materials

Materials Chemistry

Composite Science and Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.mser.2018.03.001

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