Highly sensitive, breathable and durable E-textiles integrated by graphene ink via scalable aerodynamics assisted screen printing

Flexible wearable electronic textiles (E-textiles) are predicted to apply in the intelligence management of physical training for automatic, intelligent, and scientific health management. Recently, printing electronic is one of the attractive processes for the large-scale manufacturing of patterned E-textiles. However, it is an enormous challenge that achieve sensing functionality without sacrificing the original performance of fabric. Herein, we proposed a new scalable aerodynamic assisted screen print technology to develop highly sensitive, breathable, and durable electronic textiles via the integration of graphene ink. Briefly, stable graphene ink was fabricated based on the exfoliation and dispersion of cellulose/PEDOT:PSS solution, and directly screen printed on spandex/cotton blend fabric (SCBF) with the assisting of airflow pressure. The as-prepared ink infiltrated and wrapped along the fiber surface by aerodynamic assisted screen printing instead of filling fabric inter-fibers, endowing the SCBF with conductivity (82.16 Ω/sq), flexibility and breathability. Consequently, the acquired E-textile exhibited superior air permeability (38.5 L·m 2 /s), washing durability (> 50 cycles), excellent sensitivity (GF = 36), strain sensing performance and stability (> 9000 cycles). Finally, a monitoring smart garment has been demonstrated to show the potential of a large-scale E-textile for physical training or health management. Graphical abstract