Scalable graphene-based nanocomposite coatings for flexible and washable conductive textiles

Graphene has recently become one of the preferred conductive materials for smart textiles. The most widely employed strategy to integrate graphene into textiles consists of coating the surface of the target substrate. However, this approach presents limitations related to the preparation of the coating material and its performance during work. Herein we introduce a new concept for the coating of conductive carbon-based materials on textiles by using a nanocomposite ink composed of graphene and an elastomer, in a low boiling point solvent. It allows coating large areas of textiles in a short time and the covering layer presents good elasticity making it durable under strong mechanical deformation. In addition, the apolar nature of the coating confers washing resistance to the textiles. Furthermore, the approach is broad in scope as the coating behaves similarly on both synthetic (Nylon, polyester, acrylic) or natural (cotton, cellulose) textiles. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.