Effects of Maintenance and Wear on the Electrical Resistance of Silver-Based Conductive Textiles

This study obtained basic data describing the effects of maintenance of conductive textiles by investigating their electrical resistances and surface characteristics during wear and maintenance using clothes washers, dryers, and steam clothing care systems. To replicate the clothing maintenance process, a total of 20 cycles were conducted by washing with or without detergent followed by tumble- or line-drying. When detergent was used during washing, its ingredients interacted with the conductive textiles, thereby increasing their resistances. Therefore, it is recommended that a reduced quantity of detergent be used as it is otherwise difficult to wash clothes without using detergent. The optimal drying method was found to be dependent on the conductive textile fiber type; tumble-drying is recommended for hydrophilic textiles such as cotton fabrics, whereas line-drying is recommended for textiles containing polyurethane. Conductive textiles were found to be better maintained by the steam clothing care system than by the conventional clothes washer and dryer. However, because the use of a steam clothing care system alone cannot effectively remove soils from clothes, conductive textiles should be maintained by reducing the number of conventional washing and drying cycles and increasing the use of steam clothing care to achieve the expected smart clothing lifespan. Tensile tests were then conducted up to the maximum elongation of each textile to identify the changes in resistance during the wear process. The initial electrical resistances of nearly all of the conductive textiles showed an insignificant change at the maximum elongation; only the knitted textile with a high polyurethane content exhibited a significant change in electrical resistance in the lengthwise direction. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the development of smart clothing that can withstand day-to-day wear and maintenance.