Preparation of CNT/Cu conductive fabrics by a combined strategy of tea saponin foam finishing and vacuum evaporation plating

Conductive fabrics have broad application prospects in wearable electronics and other fields, but the current preparation methods often face the challenges of high cost, environmental pollution, low efficiency, and poor durability. In this paper, a novel and green method is presented to prepare conductive fabrics based on foam finishing and vacuum evaporation plating. The natural surfactant tea saponin is used as a foaming agent to disperse carbon nanotubes, and this method has the advantages of low water consumption, low energy consumption, and low emissions. Vacuum evaporation plating is used to deposit Cu nanoparticles on the CNT layer, and the bridging effect of copper particles and CNTs can enhance the conductivity of the fabric. The effects of different parameters on the foam properties, such as the sheet resistance, and the electrothermal performance of the conductive fabrics are investigated. It is found that the CNT/Cu fabric exhibits a low sheet resistance of about 14 Ω/sq and a high electrothermal performance of up to 72 °C at 15 V. The method is simple, energy-saving, and environmentally friendly, which has potential applications in wearable electronic fabrics and other fields.