Processing and characterization of conductive yarns by coating or bulk treatment for smart textile applications

The use of intelligent materials reacting to external stimuli is rapidly growing in the field of technical textiles. In this paper, the processing of conductive yarns for the development of smart textiles is discussed. Two different methods are exposed: the coating of textile yarns using conductive polymers, and the bulk treatment of spinnable polymers by conductive nanofillers. In the first part of this article, polyaniline (PANI)-coated ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, Dyneema((R))) yarns were prepared. Their electrical, morphological and electro-mechanical properties including the temperature influence were investigated. Power handling of PANI-coated conductive yarns as a function of the current was also evaluated. Three different prototypes of conductive multiple yarns have been proposed. In the second part, the use of multi-walled carbon nanotubes as reinforcing conductive nanofiller for spinnable polymers has been studied. The major influence of the homogeneous dispersion of the nanotubes in the host matrix is particularly pointed out, and the electrical behaviour of the nanocomposite yarns has been investigated. Different conductive yarns, developed in our laboratory, are expected to be used as fibrous sensors, connection elements in smart clothing, electro-mechanical or thermal data acquisition devices and conductive fabrics for electromagnetic shielding applications.