Localization of conductivity towards scalable and sustainable wearable electronics

Localized conductivity on fabrics is envisioned to make a shift in sustainable wearable electronics. Among the wearable electronics, localized conductivity has not been widely reported yet. Hence, we report a simple way to localize conductivity on polyester fabrics using reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO). Coupling agent, (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) was used to change the chemically dormant nature of polyester fabrics, which made easy networking with GO. Then, the GO coating was substantially reduced to rGO, accomplishing conductive tracks on fabrics. rGO coated fabric showed a surface resistivity of 320 Ω/□. Even after 20 washing cycles, a significant change in surface resistivity was not observed which signifies a good wash fastness. APTES created a covalent bond network between rGO and polyester, which was proven by FTIR. This cost effective and sustainable method endows the electronic textile industry with a rapid improvement towards scalable production.