A fabric-based superhydrophobic ACNTs/Cu/PDMS heater with an excellent electrothermal effect and deicing performance

Superhydrophobic conductive materials have attracted much attention because of their wide applications in oil–water separation, electromagnetic shielding, and human motion detection. Herein, we adopt a facile method to prepare a superhydrophobic conductive fabric. In brief, the composite fabric is composed of a cheap and elastic textile base, an interface layer polydopamine (PDA), functional layer aligned carbon nanotubes (ACNTs) and Cu nanoparticles, and low surface energy materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). In this method, we encapsulate Cu nanoparticles on the surface of ACNTs, which improves the electrical conductivity of the fabric. PDMS could not only protect the indicated Cu nanoparticles from oxidation but also endow the fabric with superhydrophobicity and thus corrosion resistance. The results show that the PDA/ACNTs/Cu/PDMS fabric can maintain good electrical conductivity and excellent chemical stability and mechanical durability even after bending (500 times), solution immersion, and water washing. Furthermore, the combination of superhydrophobicity and electrical conductivity endows the PDA/ACNTs/Cu/PDMS fabric with an excellent electrocaloric effect and deicing performance. More interestingly, the prepared fabric can also be used to monitor human movements. This superhydrophobic conductive fabric has potential application prospects as waterproof materials, wearable electronics, heaters, and in other fields.