Low temperature welding of graphene on PET with silver nanoparticles producing higher durable electro-conductive fabric

Conductive fabrics have been the basic building blocks in various applications such as static dissipation, EMI shielding and wearable electronics, where high conductivity and good durability are essential. This work describes a new method to improve the conductivity and durability of modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabrics via low-temperature welding of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on the PET fiber surfaces. A layer of rGO-AgNPs on the fiber surface was formed by coating aqueous mixture of graphene oxide (GO) and AgNO3 and the subsequent reduction with hydrazine. Interfusing of rGO-AgNPs and fibers has been achieved via thermal annealing at relatively low temperatures (<200 °C), thanks to the depressed melting point of Ag in the nanoparticle form. Electrical conductivity and wash fastness have been significantly enhanced after annealing. To our best knowledge, our fabric bares the highest electrical conductivity among those reported in similar textile systems. In addition, we report good durability of rGO coating on PET via a series of wash fastness and bending tests.

256