Electrically conductive textiles

Wool fabrics with conventional properties and performances were transformed into electrically conductive textiles by coating the fibers with polypyrrole, a conductive polymer. The fabrics were treated with an aqueous solution containing the monomer pyrrole and a catalyst of polymerization, iron chloride hexahydrate, in order to achieve the deposition of a thin polymeric conductive layer on the surface of the fibers. The influence of the treatment on the characteristics of the original fabrics was evaluated by measuring physical, mechanical and thermal properties of untreated and treated samples; the conductivity was evaluated by measuring the surface electrical resistance. The results demonstrate that the process gives conductive properties without significantly modifying the properties of the original textiles, (apart from the color) thus opening new perspectives for their utilization. Moreover, the treatment does not seem to be influenced by the nature of the substrate; its application to any textile fiber should therefore be suitable.