Conductive Textile Threads

Abstract

This aim of this project is to develop the technology for flexible, deformable and stretchable electronics that are able to accommodate the drape and movement of the human body based on conductive textile fibers and fibrous structures. A specific objective of this research is to integrate the developed conductive threads in the construction of conformal, light-weight, and load-bearing antennas. For the purposes of a textile antenna design, a conductive fabric must satisfy the following requirements:

• A low and stable electrical resistance;
• The material must be homogeneous over the antenna area, and the variance of the resistance through the material should be small;
• The fabric should be flexible such that the antenna can be deformed to conform to the shape and movement of the human body or more generally to the surface of curvilinear structures.

No study so far has achieved the combination of the criteria above with a non-metallic conductive material. This research is to develop and demonstrate an approach that combines multiple unique techniques to synthesize electrospun pitch-based carbon fibers with conductivity better than 100 S/cm.