Conductive textiles and fabrics

In 2011 Molina et al. described the electrochromic properties of a polyaniline-impregnated textile fabric for the first time [73]. Immersed in an electrolytic bath and connected to a power supply, the fabric displays a visible colour change, from light green at — 1 V to dark green at +2 V. However, the aim of their study is the development of a conducting textile, and the electrochromic property is considered as secondary and was not exploited any further. 

Tibtech. Conductive Yams and Fabrics for Energy Transfer and Heating Devices in SMART Textiles and Composites, http //www.tibtech.com/metal liber composition.php. (accessed 08.09.15). 

Other approaches for measuring thermal resistance or conductivity of fibers and fabrics include the use of calorimetry (28), thermal flow through a heat sink of known emissivity (2 ), immersion of fibers or fabrics in liquids of known thermal conductivity (30), and measurement of the rate of cooling of textiles or insulating materials by a Cenco-Fitch apparatus (2). 

Modification of cotton textiles by chemical plating of their surfaces with cobalt (II) or nickel (II) salts produced metallized fibers and fabrics with high electrical conductivity and the capability to transport and dissipate thermal energy (109). The heat capacity of cellulose acetate fibers was increased by treatment with epoxy compounds (110). 

An important development, pioneered by Kuhn and coworkers,37 38 has been the deposition of conducting PAn s onto fibers and fabrics. Not only hydrophobic fibers such as polyesters and polypropylene but also hydrophilic textiles such as rayon and cotton can be coated with PAn with this in situ polymerization method. PAn/nylon-6 composite films have also been prepared by adsorbing aniline onto thin nylon-6 films and then treating with aqueous (Nn4)2S208.39 The composite films exhibited a low percolation threshold requiring just 4% PAn for electrical conductivity. 

The measurement of static charge on textile fibers, fabrics, and yams has also received a considerable amount of scientific attention and is relevant to this same subject on human hair. The books by Meredith and Hearle [141] and Morton and Hearle [136] provide a good introduction into this subject. The measurement of electrical resistance (reciprocal of conductance) of fibers is also fundamental to their static electrification and is described by Hersh [142] for human hair and other fibers and by Meredith and Hearle [141] for textile fibers. 

Textile products made from cotton fibre are used extensively all over the world. Numerous cotton products are being manufactured and used every day. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand the impacts of these products on environment and sustainabihty. In the following sections, various LCA studies conducted on cotton fibre, yam and fabrics are discussed. 

Khan A, Hussain M, Nur O, Willander M. Mechanical and piezoelectric properties of zinc oxide nanorods grown on conductive textile fabric as an alternative substrate. J Phys D Appl Phys 2014 47(34) 345102. 

One of the most widely used approaches for fabricating electrically conductive textiles from intractable ICPs is to use an in situ approach to polymerize a submicron thick coating of an ICP onto an existing textile substrate. In this in situ polymerization technique, the fabric is immersed in a solution containing the ICP monomer, an oxidant, and the desired dopant anion. This process is industrially applicable because it can be performed using standard textile dyeing equipment using aqueous solutions for both aniline and pyrrole. 

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