Foldable and washable fully textile-based pressure sensor

Abstract

Smart textiles have wide applications in various sensing systems since they have the advantage of maintaining the inherent properties of textile such as light weight, flexibility, comfort, and breathability. Therefore, textile-based pressure sensors, one of the smart textiles, have attracted considerable interest in wearable electronics and homecare systems. In this study, to construct a textile-based pressure sensor, a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin film was fabricated on a polyethylene terephthalate microfiber fabric by vapor phase polymerization with various concentrations of the oxidant, FeCl3. The PEDOT conductive textile showed a change in conductivity depending on the applied pressure. We confirmed the excellent washing and physical durability of the sensor from the stable electrical properties of the PEDOT conductive textile after washing and repeated folding tests. Furthermore, a fully textile-based pressure sensor was successfully fabricated using the highly durable PEDOT, which could simultaneously measure both static and dynamic pressures even during physical deformation, thus suggesting great potential in smart textiles, especially textile-based homecare systems.