A novel structural design of cellulose-based conductive composite fibers for wearable e-textiles

Wangcheng Liu; Hang Liu; Zihui Zhao; Dan Liang; Wei-Hong Zhong; Jinwen Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121308

A novel structural design of cellulose-based conductive composite fibers for wearable e-textiles

Carbohydr Polym. 2023 Dec 1:321:121308. doi: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121308. Epub 2023 Aug 18.

Authors

Wangcheng Liu¹, Hang Liu², Zihui Zhao³, Dan Liang³, Wei-Hong Zhong⁴, Jinwen Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. Electronic address: wangcheng.liu@wsu.edu.
² Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA. Electronic address: hangliu@wsu.edu.
³ Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
⁴ School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
⁵ Composite Materials and Engineering Center, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.

PMID: 37739538
DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121308

Abstract

Cellulose-based conductive composite fibers hold great promise in smart wearable applications, given cellulose's desirable properties for textiles. Blending conductive fillers with cellulose is the most common means of fiber production. Incorporating a high content of conductive fillers is demanded to achieve desirable conductivity. However, a high filler load deteriorates the processability and mechanical properties of the fibers. Here, developing wet-spun cellulose-based fibers with a unique side-by-side (SBS) structure via sustainable processing is reported. Sustainable sources (cotton linter and post-consumer cotton waste) and a biocompatible intrinsically conductive polymer (i.e., polyaniline, PANI) were engineered into fibers containing two co-continuous phases arranged side-by-side. One phase was neat cellulose serving as the substrate and providing good mechanical properties; another phase was a PANI-rich cellulose blend (50 wt%) affording electrical conductivity. Additionally, an eco-friendly LiOH/urea solvent system was adopted for the fiber spinning process. With the proper control of processing parameters, the SBS fibers demonstrated high conductivity and improved mechanical properties compared to single-phase cellulose and PANI blended fibers. The SBS fibers demonstrated great potential for wearable e-textile applications.

Keywords: E-textiles; Eco-friendly processing; Electrical conductivity; Multi-phase composites; Polyaniline; Regenerated cellulose fibers.