Multifunctional Electrically Conductive Copper Electroplated Fabrics Sensitizes by In-Situ Deposition of Copper and Silver Nanoparticles

In this study, we developed multifunctional and durable textile sensors. The fabrics were coated with metal in two steps. At first, pretreatment of fabric was performed, and then copper and silver particles were coated by the chemical reduction method. Hence, the absorbance/adherence of metal was confirmed by the deposition of particles on microfibers. The particles filled the micro spaces between the fibers and made the continuous network to facilitate the electrical conduction. Secondly, further electroplating of the metal was performed to make the compact layer on the particle- coated fabric. The fabrics were analyzed against electrical resistivity and electromagnetic shielding over the frequency range of 200 MHz to 1500 MHz. The presence of metal coating was confirmed from the surface microstructure of coated fabric samples examined by scanning electron microscopy, EDS, and XRD tests. For optimized plating parameters, the minimum surface resistivity of 67 Omega, EMI shielding of 66 dB and Ohmic heating of 118 degrees C at 10 V was observed. It was found that EMI SH was increased with an increase in the deposition rate of the metal. Furthermore, towards the end, the durability of conductive textiles was observed against severe washing. It was observed that even after severe washing there was an insignificant increase in electrical resistivity and good retention of the metal coating, as was also proven with SEM images.

Automated summary

In this study, multifunctional and durable textile sensors were developed with a metal coating process. The metal coating was confirmed through the deposition of particles on microfibers, filling the micro spaces between the fibers and facilitating electrical conduction. Further analysis showed optimized plating parameters resulting in improved electrical resistivity, EMI shielding, and Ohmic heating properties. The durability of the conductive textiles was also observed against severe washing, showing good retention of the metal coating.