Preparation of conductive cellulose fabrics with durable antibacterial properties and their application in wearable electrodes

Electroless silver plating on fabrics can obtain conductive and antibacterial bifunctional materials which can be used as electrodes in wearable electronic products. However, these activities are deteriorated easily after washing because of the falling off of silver coating resulted from the weak adhesion. In order to improve the binding force between silver and cellulose fabrics, 3-mercaptopropytrimethoxysilane (MPTS) was applied to modify cellulose fabrics before silver electroless plating to develop the durable conductive fabrics with excellent antibacterial. The silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) deposition process was observed via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), thermal properties were evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). A dense and uniform silver layer was formed on the fabric. The initial electrical resistance of the conductive fabric was 0.04 Omega/sq and lowered than 2 Omega/sq after 200 washing cycles. The antibacterial efficiency of the fabric after 200 washing cycles remained 92.82%, compared to 100% with the fabric before washing. Moreover, the inhibition rate was determined by optical density of bacteria suspension at 260 nm and further substantiated by releasing of Ag+ from the fabric. The conductive fabrics were applied as wearable electrodes to capture electrocardiogram (ECG) signals of human in static states and running states. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The electroless silver plating on fabrics enhances the durability and antibacterial properties of conductive fabrics. After 200 washing cycles, the fabric maintained good electrical conductivity and antibacterial efficiency, indicating the potential for long-lasting use in wearable electronic products.