A Silver (Nano)lining For Smart Fabrics

Fibers coated with silver nanowires could be the future of wearable electronics, researchers say.

AsianScientist (Jan. 7, 2019) – Wearable electronics could become more commonplace with the development of flexible and stretchable conductive fibers, according to researchers in China. They published their findings in the journal Nano.

In recent years, scientists have sought to develop smart textiles by integrating fabrics with electronic devices such as sensors, light emitting diodes, transistors, batteries and supercapacitors. However, conventional conductive fibers are usually made from metals such as stainless steel and copper which are stiff and brittle, making them unsuitable for use as smart textiles.

Conductive nanomaterials such as metal nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes and graphene have emerged as new substrates from which conductive fibers can be manufactured. However, the facile, large-scale and cost-effective fabrication of conductive fibers with high flexibility and good electrical conductivity is still a challenge.

In this study, researchers led by Dr. Li Yi and Dr. Ma Yanwen of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China, developed a simple, scalable and low-cost method to prepare flexible and stretchable conductive fibers that could be used in wearable electronics.

Taking advantage of the capillary action of fibers, such as cotton, nylon, polyester and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) yarns, the researchers were able to coat fibers in silver nanowires efficiently and inexpensively. They demonstrated that evaporation-induced flow and capillary-driven self-assembly processes were necessary to produce an even coat of silver nanowires on fabric.

The scientists reported that their flexible and stretchable conductor exhibits uniform morphology, high conductivity and good mechanical strength. By scaling up their fabrication method, they hope to pave the way for smart fabrics that are not only durable and functional, but comfortable as well.



The article can be found at: Li et al. (2018) Capillarity-Driven Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowires-Coated Fibers for Flexible and Stretchable Conductor.

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Source: World Scientific; Photo: Pexels.
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