Carbon nanotubes textile coating for the development of wearable sensors

A suitable carbon nanotubes polymer-coating has been designed and developed as a component in wearable sensors and smart clothing. Functionalized carbon nanotubes were mixed with an acrylic thickener in order to obtain a stable viscous paste that was spread by means of a knife-over-roll technique onto cotton fabric. The so obtained coated textile fabric was subjected to chemical-physical characterizations and electrical resistance values were measured by changing simultaneously both environmental humidity and temperature. Experimental findings in terms of surface resistance have shown marked electrical properties of the coating and its potential use as sensitive element for the development of wearable sensors.