Capillarity-Driven Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowires-Coated Fibers for Flexible and Stretchable Conductor

Abstract

The rapid development of smart textiles requires the large-scale fabrication of conductive fibers. In this study, we develop a simple, scalable and low-cost capillary-driven self-assembly method to prepare conductive fibers with uniform morphology, high conductivity and good mechanical strength. Fiber-shaped flexible and stretchable conductors are obtained by coating highly conductive and flexible silver nanowires (Ag NWs) on the surfaces of yarn and PDMS fibers through evaporation-induced flow and capillary-driven self-assembly, which is proven by the in situ optical microscopic observation. The density of Ag NWs and linear resistance of the conductive fibers could be regulated by tuning the assembly cycles. A linear resistance of 1.4[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]/cm could be achieved for the Ag NWs-coated nylon, which increases only 8% after 200 bending cycle, demonstrating high flexibility and mechanical stability. The flexible and stretchable conductive fibers have great potential for the application in wearable devices.