Innovation in Textile: Submitted By: Shraddha Modi, TD - 6
Innovation in Textile: Submitted By: Shraddha Modi, TD - 6
Innovation in Textile: Submitted By: Shraddha Modi, TD - 6
Conductive yarns refer to yarns which are able to carry electrical charge. To impart conductivity in the textile material metallic wires, conductive
polymers, or other conductive compounds are integrated into the textile structure at different stages, such as fiber construction, yarn spinning, or fabric
creation stages.
Fibers or wires of metals like silver, stainless steel, nickel, aluminum and copper are incorporated into the textile structure, although metal offer high
conductivity but have some disadvantages like increase in weight, affects flexibility, cost, also some metals are prone to corrosion.
Apart from using metal wires metal-based conductive textiles can also be produced by coating metal ink on the surface of textile materials, but these
inks have limitation of wash stability.
As of 2020 the conductive materials for textile materials can be classified as conductive inks, carbon-based conductive polymers, inherently conductive
polymers and conductive polymer composites.
Conductive Inks :
The conductive inks are developed from metals, metal oxides,
conductive polymers, organometallic inks, graphene, carbon
nanotubes and a mixture of the different inks. Some examples of
the conductive inks employed for the development of conductive
textile are reactive silver, graphene ink, and carbon nanotube,
etc. Cotton yarn Cotton yarn coated with graphene oxide
For example, Liang et al. used a silver nanoparticle-based
conductive ink that was configured with poly(styrene-block-
ethylene-ran-butylene-blockstyrene) to develop a skin-inspired
ultra-sensitive pressure sensor.
Conductive polymers, develop in 1970, contain a conjugated molecular structure having alternative single and double bonds between carbon atoms.
It is a combination of electrical property of metals or semiconductors with the benefit of polymers such as price, structural diversity, flexibility and
durability, which makes them an ideal choice for textile-based electrodes. Conductive polymers like polypyrrole (PPy), polyaniline (PANI) and
polythiophene derivative poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene), poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) are the most successful polymers in the
production of conductive textile.
Although conductive polymers show a promising conductivity, their mechanical properties need improvements, which led to conductive polymeric
composites with improved electrical conductivity and mechanical stability. Conductive polymer composites are polymers consisting of single or
hybrid conductive fillers such as carbonaceous, metallic, and conducting polymeric particles dispersed in a polymer matrix. Some of the examples of
conductive polymer composites include PEDOT:PSS-polydimethylsiloxane, PPy-silver nanocomposites, PANI-copper, graphene-PPy and PEDPT:PSS–
CNT-Gr.
Conductive yarns can be integrated into a textile structure by weaving, knitting,
embroidery, and braiding techniques but the electrical and mechanical
properties of the textile substrate could significantly vary from the initial
conductive material.
Knitting :
Knitting allows the inclusion of conductive yarns during the fabrication process,
making them integral to the textile structure, knitted structure is known for its
stretchability. Recent advancements in conductive yarns and fabrication
technologies has opened exciting opportunities to design and knit seamless
garments equipped with sensors.
Fan et al. used knitting technique to produce a machine washable textile-based
triboelectric sensor array which exhibits a fast response time and wide working
frequency bandwidth up to 20 Hz and stays functional for multiple machine
(a) Schematic illustration of the combination of
washings. This textile-based sensor array was incorporated into sweater to triboelectric all-textile sensor array (TATSA): (b)
monitor the arterial pulse waves and respiratory signals simultaneously. The photograph of two TATSAs completely and
knitted triboelectric all-textile sensor array was also used to measure the seamlessly stitched into a sweater; (c) output
cardiovascular pulse of different age groups. characteristics of the TATSA after washing; (d)
pulse waveforms of TATSAs for different ages
Embroidery : Embroidered capacitive sensor
Braiding :
Conductive are used for integrating sensors and other electronic devices with textile
fabrics through weaving, knitting, braiding or embroidery. In the lifetime of the
textile several washing cycles might occur which involves rubbing which may lead to
displacement of conductive fibers, causing short circuit between the neighboring
conductive fibers, also the textile products made with conductive fibers may have to
work in the presence of water, where the exposed conductive fibers can get short
circuited.
To protect the conductive yarns PP staple fibers are wrapped around the conductive
yarns through friction, spinning and melting the PP sheath fibers in an oven. The PP
coated yarns with plied conductive yarn in the core provide better flexibility but
need higher amount of coating to provide complete electrical insulation in the
presence of water as compared to those yarns with single conductive yarn in the
core.
Smart Clothing
Static Dissipation
Electro Magnetic Shielding
Signal and Power Transfer
Heating Elements
In medical equipment like electrodes
In products ranging like metal mesh, aerospace textiles, Taser- proof or stun gun vests Smart Clothing
One major conductive fabric product is ARACON, a brand metal clad fiber by Micro-Coax,
ARACON fibers are built on a modified KEVLAR® base and provide good thermal and
dimensional stability with very high yarn strength and used for shielding cabling in air- and
spacecraft and other specialty purposes where light weight, high strength, and high-
frequency shielding is imperative.
Konnect-i
Adidas GMR Backpack
Samsonite®
As a textile designer conductive wires can be used for -
LED Embroidery :
https://www.technicaltextile.net/articles/conductive-yarns-and-their-use-in-technical-textiles-3739
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/20/23/6910/htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conductive_textile
https://www.herculite.com/blog/how-are-conductive-fabrics-used
https://www.servicethread.com/blog/conductive-and-non-conductive-yarns
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00405000.2012.719295
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrically_conducting_yarn
https://www.swicofil.com/consult/innovations/conductivity
https://www.postscapes.com/googles-project-jacquard-brings-touch-to-textiles/
https://atap.google.com/jacquard/products/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/conductive-yarn#:~:text=Conductive%20yarns%20can%20be%20either,be%20twisted%20around
%20each%20other
.