Commercial Silk-Based Electronic Yarns Fabricated Using Microwave Irradiation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Electronic textiles (e-textiles) offer potential for wearable and flexible electronics.
• Current methods for carbon-based e-textiles are complex and require chemical agents.
• Existing pyroprotein-based e-textiles involve energy-intensive, high-temperature pyrolysis (800–2800 °C).

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel, efficient method for fabricating pyroprotein-based electronic yarns (e-yarns).
• To utilize microwave irradiation for rapid structural modification of pyroproteins.
• To achieve comparable conductivity to traditional methods without high temperatures or chemical agents.

Main Methods:

• Pyroprotein treatment at 650 °C followed by microwave irradiation.
• Structural analysis using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.
• Electrical conductivity measurements and temperature-dependent resistance analysis using the fluctuation-induced tunneling model.

Main Results:

• Microwave treatment effectively removed heteroatoms and enlarged carbon regions in pyroproteins.
• Structural modifications were confirmed via spectroscopic analysis.
• The fabricated e-yarns exhibited electrical conductivity comparable to e-textiles treated at 1000 °C (10^2 S/cm).
• The e-yarns demonstrated good electrical stability under bending stress.

Conclusions:

• A rapid and energy-efficient method for producing pyroprotein-based e-yarns using microwave irradiation has been established.
• The developed e-yarns possess desirable electrical properties and mechanical stability for flexible electronic applications.
• This approach offers a promising alternative to conventional high-temperature and chemical-intensive fabrication methods for e-textiles.