Highly Sensitive Piezoresistance Conductive Fabric Based on Enhanced PEDOT:PSS/MWCNTs for Electronic Wearable Devices

Abstract

Conductive fabrics are promising for applications in smart textiles and wearable electronics because they are lightweight, flexible, and easy to integrate. However, constructing a continuous, stable, and highly efficient functional organic/inorganic conductive network within the porous fibrous architecture remains a major challenge for the fabrication of high-performance conductive fabrics. In this study, PEDOT:PSS was modified via a high-speed non-solvent turbulent secondary doping (HNTD) process. Using the modified PEDOT:PSS as the carrier, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were loaded into cotton nonwoven fabrics through a simple dip-coating method to fabricate PEDOT:PSS/MWCNTs composite conductive fabrics (PPMF). Through π–π interactions between PEDOT:PSS and MWCNTs, this approach promoted the uniform distribution of MWCNTs throughout the fabric fibers. It also substantially suppressed the flake-like aggregation of doped PEDOT:PSS during solvent evaporation, thereby improving electron transport within the conductive fabric. The resulting PPMF exhibited excellent electrical performance, with a conductivity of 2.96 × 10–2 S cm–1. The assembled flexible PPMF pressure sensor exhibited ultrahigh sensitivity (108.15 kPa–1) and rapid response and recovery times of 18 and 35 ms, respectively. This performance was attributed to the multilevel interwoven network of the cotton fabric and the uniform, synergistic organic/inorganic conductive network, which enabled the effective detection of minute external forces. Moreover, PPMF can be integrated into wearable sensors to monitor movements at different body sites, including large joint motions and subtle facial movements. This work therefore provides a viable strategy for developing next-generation textile electronics and electronic skin.