Smart Textile Based on 3D Stretchable Silver Nanowires/MXene Conductive Networks for Personal Healthcare and Thermal Management

Abstract

Wearable electronics have enriched daily lives by providing smart functions as well as monitoring body health conditions. However, the realization of wearable electronics with personal healthcare and thermal comfort management of the human body is still a great challenge. Furthermore, manufacturing such on-skin wearable electronics on traditional thin-film substrates results in limited gas permeability and inflammation. Herein, we proposed a personal healthcare and thermal management smart textile with a three-dimensional (3D) interconnected conductive network, formed by silver nanowires (AgNWs) bridging lamellar structured transition-metal carbide/carbonitride (MXene) nanosheets deposited on nonwoven fabrics. Benefiting from the interconnected conductive network synergistic effect of onedimensional (1D) AgNWs bridging two-dimensional (2D) MXene, the strain sensor exhibits excellent durability (>1500 stretching cycles) and high sensitivity (gauge factor (GF) = 1085) with a wide strain range limit (∼100%), and the details of human body activities can be accurately recognized and monitored. Moreover, thanks to the excellent Joule heating and photothermal effect endowed by AgNWs and MXene, the multifunctional smart textile with direct temperature visualization and solar-powered temperature regulation functions was successfully developed, after further combination of thermochromic and phase-change functional layers, respectively. The smart textiles with a stretchable AgNW-MXene 3D conductive network hold great promise for next-generation personal healthcare and thermal management wearable systems.

Flexible Sensory Systems: Structural Approaches

“…The various advantages of these fabrics have been applied to industry [ 260 , 290 , 291 ] and energy harvesting [ 292 , 293 , 294 , 295 ], and, in particular, have led to the development of smart textiles for healthcare monitoring [ 256 , 296 , 297 , 298 ].…”

“…Textile structures are intended to manufacture a wearable device using a conductive material. There are various shapes, from fibers to fabric products, and they have high stretchability and strength with strains caused by human movement or shape change [ 274 , 293 , 298 ]. However, they have a limitation, which is their weakness against external contamination and moisture.…”

Review of MXene Nanosheet Composites for Flexible Pressure Sensors

“…Yang et al 134 prepared TPU fibrous mat via electrospinning and produced an MXene/TPU mat via spray-coating to prevent the tendency of nanowires to slide away from each other and enhance electron transfer and conductivity. Liu et al 135 reinforced the conductive network of silver nanowires (AgNWs) using polyurethane−polypropylene nonwovens as a matrix and MXene as a skeleton, as shown in Figure 11a. Jia et al 136 prepared a TPU/PAN mat via electrospinning and fabricated an MXene/TPU/PAN composite using the dipcoating method.…”

Weaving a magnificent world: 1D fibrous electrodes and devices for stretchable and wearable electronics

“…The hierarchical weaveability of 1D fiber structures (fibrous: substances composed of continuous or discontinuous filaments, yarns: 1D structures of fibers or filaments) have led to 1D electronics and systems as ideal building blocks for advanced wearable applications. 7,8 1D fiber-based electronics have the advantages of low price, light weight, and small size and are also suitable for the unique characteristics of wearable electronic devices, such as softness, elasticity, damage resistance, high air permeability, and high resistance to damage. 9 Parts of clothing are often stretched and deformed during natural movements in everyday life, adding to the importance of stretchability in 1D electronics.…”