Issue 44, 2017

All inkjet-printed graphene-based conductive patterns for wearable e-textile applications

Abstract

Inkjet printing of graphene inks is considered to be very promising for wearable e-textile applications as benefits of both inkjet printing and extra-ordinary electronic, optical and mechanical properties of graphene can be exploited. However, the common problem associated with inkjet printing of conductive inks on textiles is the difficulty to print a continuous conductive path on a rough and porous textile surface. Here we report inkjet printing of an organic nanoparticle based surface pre-treatment onto textiles to enable all inkjet-printed graphene e-textiles for the first time. The functionalized organic nanoparticles present a hydrophobic breathable coating on textiles. Subsequent inkjet printing of a continuous conductive electrical path onto the pre-treated coating reduced the sheet resistance of graphene-based printed e-textiles by three orders of magnitude from 1.09 × 106 Ω sq−1 to 2.14 × 103 Ω sq−1 compared with untreated textiles. We present several examples of how this finding opens up opportunities for real world applications of printed, low cost and environmentally friendly graphene wearable e-textiles.

Graphical abstract: All inkjet-printed graphene-based conductive patterns for wearable e-textile applications

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
13 Aug 2017
Accepted
05 Oct 2017
First published
06 Oct 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2017,5, 11640-11648

All inkjet-printed graphene-based conductive patterns for wearable e-textile applications

N. Karim, S. Afroj, A. Malandraki, S. Butterworth, C. Beach, M. Rigout, K. S. Novoselov, A. J. Casson and S. G. Yeates, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2017, 5, 11640 DOI: 10.1039/C7TC03669H

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