Utilizing Diffusion and Temperature as a Means of Band-Gap Modulation for Conjugated Polymers

First, the effect of monomer feed ratios when two electroactive monomers diffuse towards each other as a means of modulating the band gap by creating different copolymers is presented. From two homopolymers, having a high and low energy band gap, a set of conjugated copolymers with different energy bang gaps were prepared in a single run using diffusion fundamentals. . Hence, a combination of the two monomers is used to generate solid state electrochromic devices of any color. Second, the preparation and characterization of conductive fabric using a conjugated polymer is introduced. The electrical properties, morphology, and the effect of temperature on conductive fabric resistance over a wide range of temperature were investigated. It was found that the conductive fabric had low sheet resistance with passage of high current. The material exhibited metallic behavior at a specific temperature due to the modulation in the band gap from the semiconductor to metal rang

Highly Conductive Flexible Conductor Based on PEDOT:PSS/MWCNTs Nano Composite

Flexible textiles with strong electrical conductivities have enormous potential as active components in wearable electronics. In this study, we fabricated highly flexible electrical conductors based on cotton fabrics using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) nanocomposites. We propose that mixing and drop-casting with different amounts of MWCNTs and a fixed amount of doped PEDOT:PSS using a cotton fabric provides a wide range of conductivities depending on the amount of MWCNTs in the mixture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the distribution of MWCNTs in the PEDOT:PSS films coated the surface of the cotton fabric, thereby increasing its electrical conductivity. We found that the amount of MWCNTs significantly affected the electrical properties of the nanocomposite cotton in two ways. First, the sheet resistance of the nanocomposite cotton decreased from 78.35 Ω/□ to 2.86 Ω/□ when the concentration of the nanocomposite was increased from 9.21 wt% to 60.27 wt%. This implies that the electrical properties of the nanocomposite cotton can be adjusted by controlling the amount of MWCNTs in the blend. Moreover, we found that the relationship between the sheet resistance and nanocomposite concentration obeys the power law with an exponent α ~ 1.676. Second, the study of the effect of temperature on the resistance indicates that the conductive nanocomposite exhibits semiconductor behavior in the temperature range 24–120 °C and obeys the variable range hopping model. The characteristic temperatures, resistance prefactor, and density of localized states and activation energies depend on the concentration of MWCNTs and can be described by power laws with exponents of 0.470, −1.292, −0.470 and 0.118, respectively. The novel nanocomposite cotton fabric developed in this study exhibits suitable electrical and thermal properties and good long-term electrical stability, which make the nanocomposite cotton fabric a potential flexible conductor with a wide range of electrical conductivities, making it suitable for various applications

Highly Conductive Flexible Conductor Based on PEDOT:PSS/MWCNTs Nano Composite

Flexible textiles with strong electrical conductivities have enormous potential as active components in wearable electronics. In this study, we fabricated highly flexible electrical conductors based on cotton fabrics using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) nanocomposites. We propose that mixing and drop-casting with different amounts of MWCNTs and a fixed amount of doped PEDOT:PSS using a cotton fabric provides a wide range of conductivities depending on the amount of MWCNTs in the mixture. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed that the distribution of MWCNTs in the PEDOT:PSS films coated the surface of the cotton fabric, thereby increasing its electrical conductivity. We found that the amount of MWCNTs significantly affected the electrical properties of the nanocomposite cotton in two ways. First, the sheet resistance of the nanocomposite cotton decreased from 78.35 Ω/□ to 2.86 Ω/□ when the concentration of the nanocomposite was increased from 9.21 wt% to 60.27 wt%. This implies that the electrical properties of the nanocomposite cotton can be adjusted by controlling the amount of MWCNTs in the blend. Moreover, we found that the relationship between the sheet resistance and nanocomposite concentration obeys the power law with an exponent α ~ 1.676. Second, the study of the effect of temperature on the resistance indicates that the conductive nanocomposite exhibits semiconductor behavior in the temperature range 24–120 °C and obeys the variable range hopping model. The characteristic temperatures, resistance prefactor, and density of localized states and activation energies depend on the concentration of MWCNTs and can be described by power laws with exponents of 0.470, −1.292, −0.470 and 0.118, respectively. The novel nanocomposite cotton fabric developed in this study exhibits suitable electrical and thermal properties and good long-term electrical stability, which make the nanocomposite cotton fabric a potential flexible conductor with a wide range of electrical conductivities, making it suitable for various applications

Overview of the Influence of Silver, Gold, and Titanium Nanoparticles on the Physical Properties of PEDOT:PSS-Coated Cotton Fabrics

Metallic nanoparticles have been of interest to scientists, and they are now widely used in biomedical and engineering applications. The importance, categorization, and characterization of silver nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, and titanium nanoparticles have been discussed. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is the most practical and reliable conductive polymer used in the manufacturing of conductive textiles. The effects of metallic nanoparticles on the performance of PEDOT:PSS thin films are discussed. The results indicated that the properties of PEDOT:PSS significantly depended on the synthesis technique, doping, post-treatment, and composite material. Further, electronic textiles known as smart textiles have recently gained popularity, and they offer a wide range of applications. This review provides an overview of the effects of nanoparticles on the physical properties of PEDOT:PSS-coated cotton fabrics

The Influence of Titanium Oxide Nanoparticles and UV Radiation on the Electrical Properties of PEDOT:PSS-Coated Cotton Fabrics

With the rapid growth of electronic textiles, there is a need for highly conductive fabrics containing fewer conductive materials, allowing them to maintain flexibility, low cost and light weight. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), is one of the most promising conductive materials for the production of conductive fabrics due to its excellent properties such as solubility, relatively high conductivity, and market availability. Moreover, its electrical conductivity can be enhanced by polar solvents or acid treatment. The aim of this work was to fabricate conductive cotton fabrics with a small fixed amount of PEDOT:PSS and to investigate how titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles affect the electrical, thermal and structural properties of PEDOT:PSS-coated cotton fabrics. The change in electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite fabric was then related to morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We found that the sheet resistance of the nanocomposite cotton fabric depends on the TiO2 concentration, with a minimum value of 2.68 Ω/□ at 2.92 wt% TiO2. The effect of UV light on the sheet resistance of the nanocomposite cotton fabric was also investigated; we found that UV irradiation leads to an increase in conductivity at an irradiation time of 10 min, after which the conductivity decreases with increasing irradiation time. In addition, the electrical behavior of the nanocomposite cotton fabric as a function of temperature was investigated. The nanocomposite fabrics exhibited metallic behavior at high-TiO2 concentrations of 40.20 wt% and metallic semiconducting behavior at low and medium concentrations of 11.33 and 28.50 wt%, respectively. Interestingly, cotton fabrics coated with nanocomposite possessed excellent washing durability even after seven steam washes

Fabrication of Conductive Fabrics Based on SWCNTs, MWCNTs and Graphene and Their Applications: A Review

In recent years, the field of conductive fabrics has been challenged by the increasing popularity of these materials in the production of conductive, flexible and lightweight textiles, so-called smart textiles, which make our lives easier. These electronic textiles can be used in a wide range of human applications, from medical devices to consumer products. Recently, several scientific results on smart textiles have been published, focusing on the key factors that affect the performance of smart textiles, such as the type of substrate, the type of conductive materials, and the manufacturing method to use them in the appropriate application. Smart textiles have already been fabricated from various fabrics and different conductive materials, such as metallic nanoparticles, conductive polymers, and carbon-based materials. In this review, we study the fabrication of conductive fabrics based on carbon materials, especially carbon nanotubes and graphene, which represent a growing class of high-performance materials for conductive textiles and provide them with superior electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Therefore, this paper comprehensively describes conductive fabrics based on single-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and graphene. The fabrication process, physical properties, and their increasing importance in the field of electronic devices are discussed

Advancements in Conductive Cotton Thread-Based Graphene: A New Generation of Flexible, Lightweight, and Cost-Effective Electronic Applications

Conductive threads have emerged as a highly promising platform for the advancement of smart textiles, enabling the integration of conductivity into fabric materials. In this study, we present a novel approach to fabricate highly flexible graphene-based smart threads, which exhibit exceptional electrical properties. Four distinct types of smart threads were meticulously prepared by drop-casting graphene dispersions onto cotton threads, utilizing various solvents. The influence of annealing temperature and the quantity of dispersed graphene on the electrical conductivity of the threads was systematically investigated. Our findings reveal that the electrical conductivity of the threads is significantly influenced by the type of solvent and the annealing temperature, while exhibiting an increasing trend with higher amounts of dispersed graphene. Remarkably, we achieved a maximum electrical conductivity of 2505.68 S cm−1 for a thread prepared with 6 mL of graphene dispersed in ethanol, annealed at a temperature of 78 °C. Furthermore, the fabricated smart threads were successfully employed as replacements for electric cables in a mobile charger and a computer mouse, demonstrating their high efficiency. This work represents a significant advancement in the development of a new generation of smart textiles, offering a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly fabrication method for the production of smart threads

Design and Optimization of One-Dimensional TiO2/GO Photonic Crystal Structures for Enhanced Thermophotovoltaics

In this paper, we theoretically explore the spectroscopic features of various one-dimensional photonic crystal (1D-PC)-based spectrally selective filters. The 1D-PC structure is composed of alternating layers of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and graphene oxide (GO). Employing the transfer matrix method (TMM), the impacts of the incidence angle, the number, and thicknesses of TiO2/GO layers in various 1D-PC stacks on the spectroscopic features of the filters are explored in detail. The proposed 1D-PC structures are designed for practical use for thermophotovoltaic (TPV) applications to act as filters that selectively transmit light below 1.78 μm to a GaSb photovoltaic cell, while light with longer wavelengths is reflected back to the source. The optimal design presented here consists of two Bragg quarter-wave 1D-PC filters with different central frequencies stacked to form a single structure. We demonstrate that our optimized 1D-PC filter exhibits a large omnidirectional stop band as well as a broad pass band and weak absorption losses. These features meet the fundamental exigencies to realize high-efficiency TPV devices. Additionally, we show that when integrated in a TPV system, our optimized filter leads to a spectral efficiency of 64%, a device efficiency of 39%, and a power density of 8.2 W/cm2, at a source temperature of 1800 K

Construction of an Electrical Conductor, Strain Sensor, Electrical Connection and Cycle Switch Using Conductive Graphite Cotton Fabrics

Researchers in science and industry are increasingly interested in conductive textiles. In this article, we have successfully prepared conductive textiles by applying a graphite dispersion to cotton fabric using a simple brush-coating-drying method and the solvents of dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide, and a solvent mixture of both. The sheet resistance of the resulting cotton fabrics could be influenced by the type of polar solvent used to prepare the graphite dispersion and the concentration of graphite. In addition, the graphite cotton fabrics showed semiconductive behavior upon studying the resistance at different temperatures. A flexible strain sensor was fabricated using these graphite cotton fabrics for human motion detection. Most importantly, the resulting strain sensor functions even after 100 bending cycles, indicating its excellent reproducibility. In addition, our results have also shown that these graphite cotton fabrics can be used as electrical interconnects in electrical circuits without any visible degradation of the conductive cotton. Finally, a cotton electrical cycle switch was made using the graphite cotton fabrics and worked in the on and off state