Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile
Abstract Conductive fibers are essential for wearable electronics, especially in electronic textiles (e-textiles) used as skin-interfaced sensors and interconnects. Achieving sustainable e-textiles with integrated toughness, waterproofing, and washability remains challenging. We present waterproof c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | npj Flexible Electronics |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00399-3 |
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| author | Hansu Kim Jun-Gyu Choi Taeyeon Oh Inho Lee Hyeongbeom Lee Hanbit Jin Chan-Hwa Hong Hye Jin Kim Tae-Wook Kim Sungjun Park |
| author_facet | Hansu Kim Jun-Gyu Choi Taeyeon Oh Inho Lee Hyeongbeom Lee Hanbit Jin Chan-Hwa Hong Hye Jin Kim Tae-Wook Kim Sungjun Park |
| author_sort | Hansu Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Conductive fibers are essential for wearable electronics, especially in electronic textiles (e-textiles) used as skin-interfaced sensors and interconnects. Achieving sustainable e-textiles with integrated toughness, waterproofing, and washability remains challenging. We present waterproof conductive tough fibers (CTFs) fabricated via a scalable, continuous capillary tube-assisted coating (CTAC) process. The multilayered CTFs demonstrate a conductivity of 6.42 kS/cm, Young’s modulus of 6.22 MPa, toughness of 9.40 × 105 J/m3, and 70% strain at break. With lengths exceeding 20 m, a native oxide layer on the eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) shell ensures reliable waterproofing with the IPX8 standard. They also maintain consistent performance for 24 days water immersion and repeated washing up to 100 cycles, showing superior resistance retention compared to the EGaIn-absence fibers. As a proof-of-concept, they enable wireless power transfer and reliable monitoring of electrocardiogram and electromyogram signals, establishing a robust platform for sustainable e-textiles. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-41cb8a24ed3044cdab4a8f79a028bb2b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2397-4621 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Flexible Electronics |
| spelling | doaj-art-41cb8a24ed3044cdab4a8f79a028bb2b2025-08-20T02:08:11ZengNature Portfolionpj Flexible Electronics2397-46212025-03-01911910.1038/s41528-025-00399-3Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textileHansu Kim0Jun-Gyu Choi1Taeyeon Oh2Inho Lee3Hyeongbeom Lee4Hanbit Jin5Chan-Hwa Hong6Hye Jin Kim7Tae-Wook Kim8Sungjun Park9Department of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou UniversityDepartment of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou UniversityIntelligent Components and Sensors Research Section, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI)Intelligent Components and Sensors Research Section, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI)Intelligent Components and Sensors Research Section, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI)Department of Flexible and Printable Electronics, Jeonbuk National UniversityDepartment of Intelligence Semiconductor Engineering, Ajou UniversityAbstract Conductive fibers are essential for wearable electronics, especially in electronic textiles (e-textiles) used as skin-interfaced sensors and interconnects. Achieving sustainable e-textiles with integrated toughness, waterproofing, and washability remains challenging. We present waterproof conductive tough fibers (CTFs) fabricated via a scalable, continuous capillary tube-assisted coating (CTAC) process. The multilayered CTFs demonstrate a conductivity of 6.42 kS/cm, Young’s modulus of 6.22 MPa, toughness of 9.40 × 105 J/m3, and 70% strain at break. With lengths exceeding 20 m, a native oxide layer on the eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) shell ensures reliable waterproofing with the IPX8 standard. They also maintain consistent performance for 24 days water immersion and repeated washing up to 100 cycles, showing superior resistance retention compared to the EGaIn-absence fibers. As a proof-of-concept, they enable wireless power transfer and reliable monitoring of electrocardiogram and electromyogram signals, establishing a robust platform for sustainable e-textiles.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00399-3 |
| spellingShingle | Hansu Kim Jun-Gyu Choi Taeyeon Oh Inho Lee Hyeongbeom Lee Hanbit Jin Chan-Hwa Hong Hye Jin Kim Tae-Wook Kim Sungjun Park Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile npj Flexible Electronics |
| title | Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile |
| title_full | Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile |
| title_fullStr | Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile |
| title_full_unstemmed | Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile |
| title_short | Waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e-textile |
| title_sort | waterproof and conductive tough fibers for washable e textile |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-025-00399-3 |
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