Durability and multifunctionality are crucial considerations in the realm of electronic textiles. Herein, a hot-pressing process has been developed to enhance the fixation of silver nanowires (AgNWs) on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabric. The conductivity, electromagnetic shielding, and electric heating properties of the hot-pressed fabric were measured to demonstrate the effectiveness of the hot-pressing process. The conductivity of the hot-pressed fabric (180 °C for 90 s) was found to be 464.2 S/m, while that of the fabric without hot pressing was 94.9 S/m. The washed hot-pressed fabric was able to provide a maximum electromagnetic shielding of 17 dB, a negative strain sensing performance (the ΔR/R0 of the hot-pressed fabric was maintained at -15%), and an outstanding electric heating property (the temperature reached 110 °C at a current of 0.08 A). This AgNW fabric holds great potential for use in multi-functional wearable devices, and the hot-pressing process improved its stability and durability, making it suitable for industrial production.
Keywords: durability; fabric; hot pressing; multifunction; silver nanowires.