Gold coated para-aramid yarns through electroless deposition

Abstract The interest in electroconductive textiles has tremendously increased over the last few years. By functionalizing textile surfaces with thin layers of metal, electrical conductivity can be combined with flexibility and pliability. We adopted this approach and deposited a thin layer of soft gold onto polypyrrole- and copper-coated para-aramid yarns in an electroless way. This paper presents the coating method for the gold deposition and presents some initial results on the characterization of the gold layer and the performance of the resulting yarns. A deposition solution was used which contained a gold salt, sulfite and thiosulfate. The pH value and temperature of the solution was optimized to result in a smooth and homogenous gold layer. Performance tests showed that the coated yarns offered an excellent electrical conductivity combined with good mechanical properties and satisfying resistance to washing. In addition, electrochemical impedance measurements revealed that the gold coated yarns are promising electrode materials to measure biomedical signals.

[1]  T. Osaka,et al.  Substrate (Ni)-catalyzed electroless gold deposition from a noncyanide bath containing thiosulfate and sulfite. I. Reaction mechanism , 2002 .

[2]  C. Corti,et al.  Commercial aspects of gold applications: From materials science to chemical science , 2004 .

[3]  F. Simon.  Deposition of gold without external current source , 1993 .

[4]  S. Roy,et al.  Electrodeposition of Gold from a Thiosulfate-Sulfite Bath for Microelectronic Applications , 2003 .

[5]  Andreas Neudeck,et al.  Textile-Based Electronic Substrate Technology , 2004 .

[6]  F. Hollstein,et al.  Investigations on fabrics coated with precious metals using the magnetron sputter technique with regard to their anti-microbial properties , 2005 .

[7]  Mohan Srinivasarao,et al.  Fibers from polypropylene/nano carbon fiber composites , 2002 .

[8]  K. Neoh,et al.  Electroless plating of palladium and copper on polypyrrole films , 2000 .

[9]  L. G. Bhatgadde,et al.  Electroless copper/nickel/gold plating of ferrite substrates , 1996 .

[10]  K. D. Clerck,et al.  Electroconductive textile structures through electroless deposition of polypyrrole and copper at polyaramide surfaces , 2006 .

[11]  K. Scott,et al.  Development of a non-toxic electrolyte for soft gold electrodeposition: an overview of work at University of Newcastle upon Tyne , 2003 .

[12]  Valery M. Dubin,et al.  Electroless copper deposition for ULSI , 1995 .

[13]  K. Oh,et al.  Electrically conductive textiles by in situ polymerization of aniline , 1999 .

[14]  T. Green,et al.  Gold electrodeposition for microelectronic, optoelectronic and microsystem applications , 2007 .

[15]  P. Bartlett,et al.  Conducting polymer gas sensors part I: fabrication and characterization , 1989 .

[16]  D. Schlettwein,et al.  Textile electrodes as substrates for the electrodeposition of porous ZnO. , 2008, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[17]  Vladan Koncar,et al.  Electrical and morphological properties of PP and PET conductive polymer fibers , 2004 .

[18]  Enzo Pasquale Scilingo,et al.  Strain-sensing fabrics for wearable kinaesthetic-like systems , 2003 .

[19]  Robert Puers,et al.  Towards the integration of textile sensors in a wireless monitoring suit , 2004 .

[20]  Masaru Kato,et al.  Some recent developments in non-cyanide gold plating for electronics applications , 2004 .

[21]  Paul Goodman,et al.  Current and future uses of gold in electronics , 2002 .

[22]  Roberta Peila,et al.  Performances and properties of intrinsic conductive cellulose-polypyrrole textiles , 2004 .

[23]  P. Kohl,et al.  The Autocatalytic Deposition of Gold in Nonalkaline, Gold Thiosulfate Electroless Bath , 1995 .

[24]  K. Oh,et al.  Electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole and Cu‐plated nylon/spandex for electrotherapeutic pad electrode , 2004 .

[25]  J. Reynolds,et al.  Conductivity switching in polypyrrole-coated textile fabrics as gas sensors , 1998 .

[26]  A. Malinauskas,et al.  Chemical deposition of conducting polymers , 2001 .

[27]  H. J. Arnold.  Introduction to the Practice of Statistics , 1990 .

[28]  C. Petrescu,et al.  Process of polypyrrole deposit on textile. Product characteristics and applications , 1997 .

[29]  Mahmood Ghoranneviss,et al.  Aluminum coatings on cotton fabrics with low temperature plasma of argon and oxygen , 2007 .

[30]  T. Osaka,et al.  Electrodeposition of soft gold from a thiosulfate-sulfite bath for electronics applications , 1997 .