Surface functionalization of Ag/polypyrrole-coated cotton fabric by in situ polymerization and magnetron sputtering

Abstract

Flexible electronic devices have attracted considerable attention in recent years, and textile fabrics are usually used as the substrates because of their good moisture absorption performance and high flexibility. However, ordinary textile fabrics are electrically insulating, which limits their strain sensing sensitivity. In this study, cotton fabric endowed with high electrical conductivity was prepared by a two-step process of in situ polymerization and direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. It was firstly modified with a continuous polypyrrole (PPy) thin film by using the in situ polymerization method and then coated with silver (Ag) thin film by using a DC magnetron sputtering system. The experimental results revealed that the resultant Ag/PPy-coated cotton deposited with a sputtering power of 200 W for 25 min has the highest electrical conductivity and its average sheet resistance is 11.7 Ω/sq. Moreover, the Ag/PPy-coated cotton exhibited the advantages of high hydrophobicity, thermal stability, electromechanical performance and washing fastness. Overall, the effective flexibility and high electrical conductivity of the Ag/PPy-coated cotton have been validated effectively and make it one of the promising candidates for preparing electromagnetic shielding and antistatic and smart wearable textile products, especially flexible electronic devices.

Metallisation of Textiles and Protection of Conductive Layers: An Overview of Application Techniques

“…This results in insufficient breathability and comfortability, especially when protective coatings are applied on large surface areas, which is another neglected area when dealing with e-textiles. Some researchers previously employed an interface polymer layer on the textile surface before metallisation, in order to reduce the inhomogeneity and roughness of textiles, and, thus, enhance the adhesion of the conductive layer [47,115,140,141]. Such intermediate layer allows the under and side protection, and provides electrical insulation (a sealed sandwich like composition) when complemented by the application of an upper-side encapsulation layer on the top [135,141].…”

“…In addition, highly conductive textiles are prepared using different two-step processes that combined pre-treatment and magnetron sputtering. He et al [ 115 ] endowed cotton fabric with high electrical conductivity employing in situ polymerisation of PPy, and, after that, Ag thin film, by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering ( Figure 6 e). The resultant Ag/PPy-coated cotton deposited with a sputtering power of 200 W for 25 min had the highest electrical conductivity, with an average sheet resistance of 11.7 Ω/sq.…”

“…[ 111 ]); ( e ) sheet resistance of Ag/polypyrrole-coated cotton as a function of sputtering time and corresponding SEM at 10 min (adapted from Ref. [ 115 ]).…”

Assessment of Coating Quality Obtained on Flame-Retardant Fabrics by a Magnetron Sputtering Method

“…The differences are in terms of structure, surface morphology (roughness, porosity), and mechanical properties, and they require an assessment, depending on the final product application. To assess the quality and thickness of a deposited metal coating or surface roughness, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is used [ 11 , 15 , 16 ]. SEM with an energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) system is a research method used in material engineering research primarily [ 1 , 17 ].…”

Flexible, portable and heatable non-woven fabric with directional moisture transport functions and ultra-fast evaporation

“…Nevertheless, few studies have used Jouleheating to accelerate moisture evaporation in textiles. Moreover, owing to the hydrophobic surface, [20][21][22][23] moisture transport is restricted in most previous heatable textiles.…”