How To Develop An Intelligent Electronic Textile? These Points Must Be Known.

With the development of science and technology, textiles have broken through the scope of warmth and beauty, and gradually become functional and intelligent. Electronic intelligent textile products are widely used and will be one of the most potential textiles in the future.

The application of electronic smart textiles in life has been common. For example, in terms of medical treatment, medical shirt can monitor the wearer's body temperature, heartbeat, blood pressure and other data to achieve remote monitoring of patients. In multimedia digital products, music jacket can play music and listen to radio stations; in military aspect, combat clothing equipped with ultramicro sensors can identify injured parts and stop bleeding quickly.

　　 With the continuous application of electronic smart textiles, it will promote the development of new textile industry. Therefore, its research and development become particularly important. To achieve the production and manufacture of electronic textiles, there are 2 main considerations: first, the construction of conductive materials, followed by the selection of suitable processing technology.

Conductive material

1, conductive fibers and yarns

Conductive fiber materials include metal (silver, copper, stainless steel, etc.) fiber, conductive polymer (polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyethylene two thiophene, etc.) fiber, and its own conductive properties of fiber materials (such as carbon fiber, carbon nanotube fiber, Shi Moxi fiber, etc.). In addition, conductive materials can be made by conducting metal plating on non conductive fibers, conducting conductive polymers and carbon nanotubes, or filling conductive materials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene and carbon black.

　　 2. Printing electronic materials

Printed electronics is an electronic manufacturing technology based on printing principles. Some conductive materials, such as conductive polymer materials, graphene and silver, can be added to the printing ink to make conductive ink, and conductive ink is printed on the fabric to make the fabric conductive. Printing electronics has many characteristics and advantages such as large area, flexibility, low cost and so on. Moreover, the manufacturing method is low temperature added material manufacturing, and has the characteristics of green and environmental protection.

　　 3, optical fiber

Optical fiber can spanmit optical signals. It can perceive light signals through sensors, spanmit them through optical fibers, and then convert optical signals into electrical signals through micro photoelectric converters, thus conducting intelligent control.

　　 Processing technology

1. Making use of existing textile production technology

Through the existing textile production processes, such as spinning, weaving, knitting, weaving, printing and dyeing, and other existing textile production processes, conductive fibers and conductive materials are applied to fibers, yarns and fabrics in the form of blending, interweaving, coating / impregnating, printing, and so on. In addition, the conductive yarn can be stitched or embroidered on clothing through sewing, embroidery and other processes in the garment production process to make electronic textiles.

　　 2. New electronic textile processing technology

With the development of electronic textiles, new electronic textile processing technologies are emerging, mainly in the following forms.

(1) using the new spinning technology, the microchip can be embedded into the yarn structure to make intelligent yarn, and then to prepare the electronic intelligent fabric.

　　 (2) smart nanomaterials are applied to the fabric surface to make smart fabric sensors capable of identifying toxic chemicals in the surrounding environment.

　　 (3) using plasma spraying process, conductive particles can be sprayed on textiles and made into conductive fabrics.

　　 (4) using electroless plating to deposit metal on fibers or fabrics, it can be used to make conductive fibers and fabrics.

　　 (5) laminated electronic textile materials can be prepared by laminating technology.