Superhydrophobic and Conductive Cotton Fabric Composite with Excellent Corrosion Resistance for Wearable Electronics

Herein, a superhydrophobic and highly conductive cotton fabric (CF) composite with outstanding corrosion resistance for wearable textile electronics is developed. The fabrication process of the fabric composite involves spraying deposition and electrodeposition. Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) are first synthesized on cotton fibers surface via two components spraying, forming cotton fibers core/AgNPs shell structure. The CF/AgNPs composite is then covered with a layer of cerium myristate (CeM) by electrodeposition, which endows the composite with superhydrophobicity and outstanding corrosion resistance. The resistivity of CF/AgNPs/CeM composite could reach as low as 0.106 omega mm. Moreover, the obtained CF/AgNPs/CeM composite exhibits excellent self-cleaning property and superhydrophobicity with a contact angle (CA) of 158.4 degrees. Also, it maintains superhydrophobicity (CA > 150 degrees) after 60 cm abrasion test or immersion in strong acidic/alkaline solution (pH = 1 or 13) for 24 h. In addition, the corrosion current density of conductive fabric composite (CFC) after electrodeposition decreases to 4.79% of the original value in simulated sweat corrosive media, suggesting a significant improvement of anti-corrosion. The developed superhydrophobic CFC with excellent corrosion resistance and self-cleaning performance has promising applications for wearable electronics in harsh conditions.