Iranian scientists use graphene nanosheets to fabricate electroconductive textiles

Iranian researchers successfully used graphene nanosheets to design and fabricate electroconductive fibers in which the amount of conductivity can be adjusted. The obtained textiles have the ability to be used in the fabrication of electronic, smart, electromagnetic-resistant, waterproof, and multipurpose fibers. "The purpose of this research was to study the feasibility of the use of graphene nanosheets in creating conductive coatings on the surface of textiles. The effect of various parameters on the conductivity of the cloth was studied as well. The effect of graphene on color change, mechanical properties, and the passage of light through the textiles was investigated too," Mohammad Shatteri Khalilabadi, one of the researchers from Islamic Azad University, Yazd Branch, explained about the research. Results showed significant effect of the type of reducer on the conductivity of the textile coated with graphene and also on the adjustment of the textile conductivity as the concentration of graphene oxide solution or the number of coatings change. Microscopic study on the samples demonstrates the coating of the textile with a very thin layer of graphene, which had negligible effect on the surface morphology of the textile. The coated graphene layer has a very high washing and mechanical strength although it has negligible effect on the reduction of mechanical properties of the textile. Graphene can be a good choice for replacement with other conductive materials such as conductive polymers, indium tin oxide, gold nanocoatings, and carbon nanotubes that have problems, including the lack of homogenous coating, high fragility, high price, lack of desirable adsorption and low stability. The obtained textiles can also be used in the production of flexible electronic pieces such as sensors, capacitors, electrodes, solar cells, and so forth. Results of the research have been published in detail on 1 July 2013 in Carbohydrate Polymers, vol. 96, issue 1, pp. 190-195.