Generation of Flexible Multifunctional Electronic Textile Displaying Appropriate Fastness Properties Utilizing Single-Stage Inkjet Printing onto Cotton Fabric Pre-treated with PVC

Abstract

Electrically conductive printed textiles are gaining increasing interest and demand worldwide. Cotton fabric's porosity and high surface roughness avoid electrically conductive printed patterns on the fabrics. This paper reports the in-situ solution deposition of silver free particles inkjet ink via an aqueous single-stage inkjet printing process, which improved electrical conductivity and fastness properties with a new approach. The cotton fabrics were pre-treated with different polyvinylchloride (PVC) solutions prepared in various solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) and dimethylformamide (DMF) that differed in boiling temperature. Afterward, PVC-pre-treated fabrics were printed through the HP Deskjet inkjet printer. The results showed that the PVC-pre-treatment of cotton fabrics significantly improved the electrical conductivity (< 2 ohm/), antibacterial activity, thermal management, droplets repellency, adhesion, abrasion, and washing fastness properties, as well as flexibility properties. The solvent type in PVC solutions affects the physical properties of the pre-treated cotton fabric. The comparison in rheological behavior of PVC solutions in DMF and THF at different temperatures displayed the significant difference in viscosity at gel-point for THF and DMF solution. THF solution with higher viscosity cannot diffuse more into porosities of cotton fabric than the DMF solution, which affects the silver nanoparticles' average crystal size and the final electrical conductivity of the printed fabric. It is the first time using an economical polymer layer on cotton fabrics to provide robust electronic printed patterns by single-stage inkjet printing. The results confirm that the flexible electronic printed fabric can be used as a multifunctional electronic textile.