Electro-Responsive Thermochromic and Mechanically Enhanced CNT Yarns through Solution Blow Spinning Encapsulation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns offer unique conductivity and electrothermal properties for smart fabrics.
• Safety concerns and limited aesthetics due to exposed black CNT yarns hinder their textile applications.
• Flexible encapsulation is crucial for realizing the industrial potential of CNT yarns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate solution blow spinning (SBS) for encapsulating CNT yarns.
• To enhance the safety, mechanical properties, and aesthetic versatility of CNT yarns.
• To explore the use of various polymers for CNT yarn encapsulation and their impact on performance.

Main Methods:

• Solution blow spinning (SBS) was employed to encapsulate CNT yarns using polymers like UHMWPE, PLA, PAN, and PVDF.
• Encapsulated CNT yarns were tested for electrical safety, mechanical properties (abrasion resistance, elongation), and visual characteristics.
• Thermochromic polymers were incorporated for real-time temperature visualization.

Main Results:

• SBS successfully produced flexible, electro-responsive conductive yarns with improved mechanical properties.
• Encapsulation significantly reduced electrical exposure risks and provided tunable color options.
• CNT core with UHMWPE sheath (C-PE) showed a 90-fold increase in abrasion resistance (35 to 3115 cycles).
• CNT core with PVDF sheath (C-PVDF) exhibited enhanced elongation from 42.8% to 63.6%.

Conclusions:

• SBS is a scalable and efficient technology for encapsulating CNT yarns, enhancing their safety and performance.
• Polymer encapsulation addresses the aesthetic limitations of black CNT yarns and improves durability.
• The development of functionalized smart textiles with tunable properties is enabled for wearable electronics.