Autocatalytic Metallization of Fabrics Using Si Ink, for Biosensors, Batteries and Energy Harvesting

Abstract

Commercially available metal inks are mainly designed for planar substrates (for example, polyethylene terephthalate foils or ceramics), and they contain hydrophobic polymer binders that fill the pores in fabrics when printed, thus resulting in hydrophobic electrodes. Here, a low-cost binder-free method for the metallization of woven and nonwoven fabrics is presented that preserves the 3D structure and hydrophilicity of the substrate. Metals such as Au, Ag, and Pt are grown autocatalytically, using metal salts, inside the fibrous network of fabrics at room temperature in a two-step process, with a water-based silicon particle ink acting as precursor. Using this method, (patterned) metallized fabrics are being enabled to be produced with low electrical resistance (less than 3.5 Ω sq −1 ). In addition to fabrics, the method is also compatible with other 3D hydrophilic substrates such as nitrocellulose membranes. The versatility of this method is demonstrated by producing coil antennas for wireless energy harvesting, Ag-Zn batteries for energy storage, electrochemical biosensors for the detection of DNA/proteins, and as a substrate for optical sensing by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy. In the future, this method of metallization may pave the way for new classes of high-performance devices using low-cost fabrics.

A Phosphorous‐Aluminium‐Nitride Synergistic Flame Retardant to Enhance Durability and Flame Retardancy of Cotton

“…Due to the development of society and the improvement of people‘s living standards, the application of cotton fabrics has become more and more extensive, such as apparel, decorative fabrics, and industrial fabrics . However, cotton fabrics are extremely flammable, threatening human life and property .…”

“…Due to the development of society and the improvement of people's living standards, the application of cotton fabrics has become more and more extensive, such as apparel, decorative fabrics, and industrial fabrics. [1][2][3][4] However, cotton fabrics are extremely flammable, threatening human life and property. [5] The flame retardant cotton fabric can delay the spread of flame; furthermore, it can improve the flame-retardant, self-extinguishing and smoke-eliminating properties of cotton fabrics.…”

Monolithic Solder-on Nanoporous Si-Cu Contacts for Stretchable Silicone Composite Sensors

“…35 Si-based solder-on electrical contacts for silicone-based CPC sensors: The copper-plated nanoporous silicon (Cu-pSi) contacts were produced in a two-step process ( Figure 1B): i) The top surface of a pristine p-type (100) silicon wafer was cleaned, electroless plated with Ag particles and placed in an etching solution (containing H2O2 and HF) for 7 min to create a nanoporous Si surface through MACE. 36,37 The surface resulting from etching consisted of 50-300 nm wide pores with a depth of ~2.40 μm. ii) The nanoporous surface was electroplated in a 0.8 M CuSO4 aqueous bath vs. a Pt wire, to create a ~1 μm Cu film on the nanoporous Si (Cu-pSi) surface that can be soldered to external wiring and components.…”

Ultra-Low-Cost Integrated Silicon-based Transducer for On-Site, Genetic Detection of Pathogens

“…The wafer is then placed inside an etching bath containing an aqueous solution of H2O2 and HF with a ratio of 1:20 v/v (30% H2O2: 10% HF) to perform metalassisted chemical etching (MACE) of Si for 10 min. [17][18][19] This process forms a 500 nm thick nanoporous Silicon (pSi) layer on each side of the wafer (Figure 2A). pSi plays a critical role in the fabrication of TriSilix.…”