A Twist-Fabricated Highly Conductive Fiber Based on Shape Memory Polyurea @ Carbon Fibers for Wearable Thermotherapy Textiles
摘要
Incorporating conductive materials into flexible fibers can be woven into comfortable wearable electronic devices catering to a convenient life. However, conventional conductive fibers, are constructed by dispersing or coating conductive materials in matrix fibers with unstable, abrasion-resisting, and unbendable electrical conductivity. Different from the preparation of traditional conductive fibers, we report a conductive fiber-inspired household wire structure with high electrical stability, which is formed by twisting integration that a carbon fiber core is wrapped into an insulating shape memory polyurea (PU) fibrous membrane by twisting together to form a conductive composite fiber with high stable conductivity against large deformation. A bionic spider silk β structure contributes to the high toughness of shape memory PU fibers that are capable of high output energy to trigger the rotation of a windmill and can wrap high-strength carbon fibers without breaking. Each meter of fiber possesses 800 Ω of resistance and enables reaching 40 ℃ under a 2 V voltage despite the condition of bending and knotting, which is also woven into wearable textiles for thermotherapy. The advantages are evident in the preparation of any core–shell structure functionality fibers, and we explain with demonstrations the shape memory effect, the thermal stability of conductive fibers, and thermotherapy textiles.