Progress in Flexible Electronic Textile for Heating Application: A Critical Review

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Intelligent textiles are experiencing significant growth, driven by industrial demand for innovative electrical integration.
• Conductive textiles, including fibers, yarns, and fabrics, are crucial components of smart textile development.
• Current research focuses on manufacturing methods for electrically conductive threads using various substrates and conductive polymers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the latest advancements in electro-conductivity within smart textiles.
• To investigate materials and assembly processes for conductive textiles.
• To illustrate potential trade-offs between versatility, ergonomics, energy use, integration, and heating in smart textiles.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on conductive textile manufacturing.
• Analysis of materials used in electrically conductive threads (e.g., conductive substrates, metal wires, intrinsically conductive polymers).
• Evaluation of assembly processes for incorporating electrical features into textiles.

Main Results:

• Development of innovative methods for integrating electrical features into textile materials.
• Exploration of diverse conductive materials, including conductive substrates, metal wires, metallic yarns, and intrinsically conductive polymers.
• Identification of key manufacturing perspectives for electrically conductive threads.

Conclusions:

• The field of intelligent textiles is poised for surprising future developments.
• Understanding material properties and assembly processes is key to advancing conductive textiles.
• Balancing versatility, ergonomics, energy efficiency, integration, and heating is crucial for practical smart textile applications.