A novel investigation on ZnO nanostructures on carbon fabric for harvesting thermopower on textile

Abstract In this work, ZnO coated carbon fabric was fabricated using a simple, cost-effective hydrothermal method. Process parameters were optimized in order to obtain ZnO nanostructures of different morphology on carbon fabric. Investigations of the as-fabricated fabric were carried out to analyze their structure, morphology, and composition. Electrical and thermoelectric properties of the as-fabricated material were studied. Ohmic behavior as observed during the electrical measurements. The electrical analyses also revealed that there is an increase in electrical conductivity of carbon fabric on the growth of ZnO. The thermopower of the ZnO coated cotton fabric was found to be −0.054 μV K−1; thereby indicating the strong influence of n-type behavior of ZnO, in ZnO coated carbon fabric. The as-fabricated fabric exhibited an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) in the range of 38.45 to 201.75 whereas, bare carbon fabric exhibited a UPF of 28.62. The enhancement in UPF of ZnO coated carbon fabric is attributed to the intense ultraviolet (UV) shielding property of ZnO. It is found that the morphology of the ZnO nanostructures affects the UPF of the as-fabricated fabric to a great extent.