Electrically conductive polymers for wearable electronics

Abstract

The objective of this work was to produce electrically conductive coatings of poly (3, 4–ethylenedioxythiophene) on plain weave fabrics with the vapor phase polymerization method, to provide textile fabrics of polyester with high electrical conductivity for smart textile applications. The method used oxidant solutions of Iron (III) ptoluenesulfonate hexahydrate (FTS) and was optimized to maximize electrical conductivity. The effect of the drying time at 60ºC, the polymerization temperature, the polymerization time and the concentration of the oxidant solution in the electrical characteristics of the samples was investigated. The samples exhibit an important decrease of sheet resistivity with a minimum value of 25 Ohm/sq obtained for a drying time at 60ºC of 18 minutes, a polymerization temperature of 100ºC, a polymerization time of 30 minutes and a oxidant concentrations of 0.8M.