Abstract:

Due to the emergence of smart textiles and wearable textile systems, the need for electrically conductive textiles has become increasingly clear. Often this conductivity is achieved by integrating metal particles, fibres or yarns into textiles or by coating a textile with a metallic layer. In this research, the potential of another method is explored, namely screen printing a textile with conductive ink. This printing technique is an interesting alternative because it is flexible and cost effective. In this study the conductivity was investigated by measuring the square resistance at different stages (i.e. after printing, abrading and washing, respectively). The printed textiles studied herein exhibit good electrical properties after printing and abrading, respectively. However, after twenty washing cycles, the conductivity decreased considerably. Therefore, in order to improve washability, a protective polyurethane layer was put on top of the printed samples, which resulted in the good conductivity of the fabrics, even after washing.