Electrically conductive yarns have attracted consider- able attention because of their desirable properties including electrical conductivity, flexibility, electrostatic discharge, electromagnetic interference protection and radio frequency interference protection. The development of conductive yarns is also critical for various applications in wearable electronics such as wearable displays, solar cells, actuators, data managing devices, and biomedical sensors. Conductive yarns directly spun from conductive materials including metals, metal oxides, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and conducting polymers were first demonstrated as prototype materials for wearable electronics, yet they are expensive and difficult to be produced on a large scale A more economic and productive way of making conductive yarns is coating conventional fibers with a layer of metals, CNTs, or conducting polymers, followed by spinning into yarns. Cotton, cellulose in nature, is the most widely used natural fiber in the world. It is low-cost and clean to produce, and has a wide variety of applications in textile clothe, upholstery, daily care, and medicine To address the challenge, this group of scientist reported a novel, facile, and versatile approach for preparing highly durable, electrically conductive cotton yarns by electroless deposition (ELD) of metal particles onto cotton yarns modified with polyelectrolyte brushes as adhesion layer. The process is really interesting, and can be seen in the following figure. The resulting yarns were tested as wires to power LEDs, it can be seen that they don’t need more cables or conducting glue, just a DC power (battery) and put the LED into the fabric. It turns on as it was connected with normal wires. This yarn can help to produce electronic textiles because of its great conductive properties.

Xuqing Liu, Haixin Chang

Electrically conductive yarns have attracted consider- able attention because of their desirable properties including electrical conductivity, flexibility, electrostatic discharge, electromagnetic interference protection and radio frequency interference protection.

The development of conductive yarns is also critical for various applications in wearable electronics such as wearable displays, solar cells, actuators, data managing devices, and biomedical sensors.

Conductive yarns directly spun from conductive materials including metals, metal oxides, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and conducting polymers were first demonstrated as prototype materials for wearable electronics, yet they are expensive and difficult to be produced on a large scale

A more economic and productive way of making conductive yarns is coating conventional fibers with a layer of metals, CNTs, or conducting polymers, followed by spinning into yarns.

Cotton, cellulose in nature, is the most widely used natural fiber in the world. It is low-cost and clean to produce, and has a wide variety of applications in textile clothe, upholstery, daily care, and medicine

To address the challenge, this group of scientist reported a novel, facile, and versatile approach for preparing highly durable, electrically conductive cotton yarns by electroless deposition (ELD) of metal particles onto cotton yarns modified with polyelectrolyte brushes as adhesion layer. The process is really interesting, and can be seen in the following figure.

The resulting yarns were tested as wires to power LEDs, it can be seen that they don’t need more cables or conducting glue, just a DC power (battery) and put the LED into the fabric. It turns on as it was connected with normal wires.

This yarn can help to produce electronic textiles because of its great conductive properties.