A Study of the Performance Degradation of Conductive Threads Based on the Effects of Tensile Forces and Repeated Washing

Abstract

In recent years, after the ongoing success in the creation of portable electronic devices, an increasing effort has been put in creating wearable devices capable of sensing multiple parameters while being imperceptible to the user. A field that has recently gained attention due to this is that of textile electronics. For this purpose, one of the most commonly used materials is conductive threads, capable of sustaining an electrical connection, while at the same time being part of a garment. As research on the performance and stability of such threads is scarce, the aim of this work is to study the effects of tension on readily available conductive threads and to verify their suitability and reliability for e-textile applications. After testing seven commercially available threads, this study demonstrates that the nominal parameters provided by the manufacturers are not in line with experimentation, and that both embroidery and washing have an impact on their performance.

Keywords

• conductive threads
• tension testing
• washability
• textile electronics
• SEM imaging
• flexible electronics