Conductive textile

Fabric which can conduct electricity

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A conductive textile is a fabric which can conduct electricity. Conductive textiles known as lamé are made with guipé thread or yarn that is conductive because it is composed of metallic fibers wrapped around a non-metallic core or has a metallic coating. A different way of achieving conductivity is to weave metallic strands into the textile.

Some historic fabrics use yarns of solid metals, most commonly gold. Alternatively, novel materials such as nanomaterials (including graphene, and carbon nanotubes) or conducting polymers may also be used as the conducting materials.[1] There is also an interest in semiconducting textiles, made by impregnating normal textiles with carbon- or metal-based powders.[2]

Conductive fibers consist of a non-conductive or less conductive substrate, which is then either coated or embedded with electrically conductive elements, often carbon, nickel, copper, gold, silver, titanium or PEDOT. Metals may be deposited chemically with autocatalytic chemistry,[3] printed with conductive nanoparticle inks,[4] or applied with physical vapor deposition methods.[5] Substrates typically include cotton, polyester, nylon, and stainless steel to high performance fibers such as aramids and PBO. Straddling the worlds of textiles and wires, conductive fibers are sold either by weight or length, and measured in denier or AWG.

Because of the rapid growth in the kinds of conductive fibers and the uses of these fibers, a trade association'the Conductive Fiber Manufacturers Council[6]'was formed to increase awareness, utilization, and possibly standardize terminology.

Applications

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Uses for conductive fibers and textiles may include static dissipation, EMI shielding,[7] signal and power transfer in low resistance versions, and as a heating element in higher resistance versions. Their benefits over solid or stranded metal wires come from conductive fibers' flexibility and ability to use them in existing textile and wire machinery (weaving, knitting, braiding, etc.).

The sport of fencing employs lamés, jackets made of conductive textiles, to detect hits in competitions.

One major use is by Micro Coax's ARACON fiber built on a KEVLAR base, and used for shielding cabling in air- and spacecraft and other speciality purposes where light weight, high strength, and high-frequency shielding is imperative. Another more recent use is in the production of 'stun gun' or Taser-proof clothing, where the conductive textile forms a flexible Faraday cage in a layer of the garment. Conductive fabric can also be used to make electrodes for EEG and other medical applications;[8] such electrodes were used in a commercially available sleep-monitoring device made by former company Zeo, Inc. Highly conductive stainless steel fiber is available.[9]

See also

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References

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Ohms Per Square

Conductive fabrics are made up of different fibers (e.g. nylon, cotton) and conductive metals (e.g. stainless steel, silver, copper). The resistance of a particular fabric depends on what conductor is used and how it is made. When purchasing conductive fabric the unit of resistance will be listed as Ohm/Sq or Ω /', meaning Ohms per Square.This unit of measurement calculates the sheet resistance of a material.

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What does it mean?

If a fabric is labeled as 2 Ω per ' it means that when the material is cut in a square, no matter how large or small that square is, it should be 2 Ohms. If cut in another dimension, such as a rectangle, the Ohms per inch are multiplied by the aspect ratio. For example:

If we define a 1" square an one unit and cut a rectangle that is 1" x 3", the aspect ratio if that rectangle is 3.

2 Ω (per ') x 3 (aspect ratio) = 6 Ohms

The thickness is also taken into account when coming up with this unit. If you wanted to calculate your own sheet resistance, two multimeters and 4 probes would be needed. We won't go over how to do this, the resistance you measure using your one multimeter will be more useful to you and your projects. If you would like to learn more, check out this explanation of Four Point Probe Resistivity Measurements.

Figuring Out Resistance

So, now we know what Ohm/Sq. means. This measurement is different than the resistance you will need when figuring out what voltage and current you will need and so on. It is helpful when buying material, look at this measurement as a guide to get a sense of it's conductivity.

The circuits you build will be made of specific sizes and shapes created by you. To get the resistance, cut you basic shapes and keep a multimeter by to test each trace or shape that you make. You may be able to come up with a unit of measurement yourself. If you are cnc cutting swirls and know that one swirl is 6 Ω, you then know that when you make your larger circuit, comprised of 10 swirls, the resistance will roughly be 60 Ω.

Voltage/Current Ratings

Most fabrics I have found and worked with do not state the current or voltage that the material can handle. If it is not available, be cautious when working and the manufacturer for advisement. Remember that it's uninsulated, so you if you are pumping a good amount of power through an exposed circuit, it can be dangerous. Be extremely careful not to create a short, you could get electrocuted! Jump to the step on insulation to learn how to protect and insulate yourself and the circuit from contact and weather conditions.

Conductive Vs. Resistive

Electrical conductivity measures a material's ability to conduct electrical current. If a material has high conductivity and low resistance, current moves freely through it.

Electrical resistivity is the measurement of how strongly a material opposes the flow of electrical current. If something has high resistance, it therefore has low conductivity.

Fabrics with electrical properties can be put into either category. I can't put a particular cut off point where one material becomes resistive and not conductive, because it will always be conductive and have resistivity. From my experience, when a fabric is called resistive, it usually means that it will measure to be 1K Ω/' or more.

When thinking of what makes a fabric conductive, I remind myself that wire typically used for traces and connections can be anywhere from .02 - 10Ω. This is dependent of length too. Always grab the multimeter to test for yourself!

How to Choose for a Specific Purpose

When used to replace traces in an electrical circuit, the fabric you want to use is the one with the lowest resistance.

For contactswitches, the same is true, choose a fabric that has low resistance. You can get away with high resistive fabrics sometimes, but it's easier to stick to one rule.

Capacitive touchswitches can be made using material that has a fairly high resistance, the change in voltage is all that is being detected.

Resistors can be replaced using resistive materials by cutting the right dimension of a resistive material to equal the value you are looking to replace.

When pressure or force is applied to piezoresistive materials the electrical resistance changes. This makes them ideal for creating sensors, especially force sensing resistors (FSRs), bend sensors and stretch sensors.

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