Eco-friendly L-cysteine and DNA co-anchored Ag NPs on cotton fabrics for durable wearable joule heaters

The rational design of Ag NP decorated cotton fabrics with durable Joule heating performance has attracted great interest. However, the combination of Ag NPs and cotton fabrics is so weak that it hinders its long-term stability in service. Here, an in situ dual-anchoring strategy is employed to enhance the immobilization of Ag NPs by L-Cysteine and DNA on cotton fabrics. Specifically, DNA plays a role as template for immobilizing Ag NPs, while L-Cysteine acts as a binder between cotton fabrics and DNA. Under the synergistic effect of L-Cysteine and DNA, Ag NPs are firmly anchored on cotton fabrics. The obtained cotton fabric based wearable Joule heaters exhibit low electrical resistance (24 Ω/sq) and long-term stability. Furthermore, the cotton fabric based wearable Joule heaters can be heated up to 60.3℃ at a low driving voltage of 4.5 V, and maintain superior Joule heating performance even after 1000 times of bending fatigue tests. Thus, this work holds great promise for a durable wearable Joule heater. Graphical abstract