Development of Graphene-Based Electrically Conductive Textiles Using Devore/Burnout Printing Technique on Cotton/Polyester Knitted Fabric

Abstract

Conventional approaches to developing conductive textiles have relied on coating or printing of conductive nanomaterials on the fabric surface, with limited investigations into modifications of the textile structure to improve conductivity and durability. This study presents a structure-driven approach combining the devore/burnout printing technique and graphene printing to develop an electrically conductive cotton/polyester knitted fabric. The burnout printing process was optimised on the cotton/polyester knitted fabric to generate tunnel-like regions in the fabric structure by varying the concentration of the burnout printing agent (sulphuric acid), steaming temperature, and steaming time. A sulphuric acid concentration of 70 g/kg, temperature of 95 °C, and steaming time of 6 min were found to be the optimal burnout printing conditions. The modified fabric structure with tunnel-like regions was then printed using the prepared graphene printing paste formulated with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), xanthan gum, and ethylene glycol. The electrical resistivity was evaluated for different print patterns such as lines, lines with dots, and serpentine lines. The lowest electrical resistivity of 2.07 × 10−2 Ω·m was obtained for the lines with dots. The structural and interfacial interactions of graphene with the burn-printed cotton/polyester knitted fabric were examined using SEM, TGA, FTIR, XRD, and Raman spectroscopy. Burnout printing reduced the tensile strength of the fabric from 0.7 kgf to 0.5 kgf; however, subsequent graphene deposition recovered and improved the tensile strength to 0.95 kgf. The graphene prints on the burn-printed fabric demonstrated improved electrical performance, stronger graphene anchorage, and improved rubbing and wash fastness compared to graphene prints on control fabric, highlighting textile structure modification as a promising route for conductive textile development.