MASc seminar - Yahya Atwa

Candidate

Yahya Atwa

Title

Silver nanowire coated threads for electrically conductive textiles

Supervisor

Irene Goldthorpe

Abstract

The emerging area of e-textiles requires electrically conductive threads. In this thesis it is demonstrated that nylon, polyester, and cotton threads can be made conductive by coating their surfaces with random networks of solution-synthesized silver nanowires. A chemical pre-treatment was used on the nylon and polyester threads to improve the adhesion of the nanowire coating. A resistance per unit length of 0.8 ohm/cm was achieved and can be varied through the density of the nanowire coating. Because the nanowires are 35 nm in diameter, and the mesh structure does not cover the entire surface like a thin-film, less metal is used compared to conventional silver-coated conductive threads. This leads to a much lower weight and mechanically flexible coating. The resistance of the nanowire-coated thread did not degrade after washing. The functionality of the thread as a heater is also demonstrated.