Inkjet-printed silver films on textiles for wearable electronics applications

This paper presents the fabrication of an inkjet-printed silver film on various textiles for wearable electronics applications. Screen printing an interface layer (Fabink-UV-IF1) on various textiles was required in order to fill the fabric grid and realize a smooth surface for subsequent inkjet-printed layers. The surface of the interface layer was treated by hard-baking to obtain the optimal surface wettability for inkjet printing. The surface morphologies and electrical properties at different inkjet printing conditions such as droplet spacing and number of passes were analyzed. The dynamic bending of the silver film was observed, considering the requirements for wearable applications. After developing the process of the silver film on textiles, the relative permittivity and loss tangent of the four textiles (T/C fabric, pure cotton, nylon, and cleanroom wiper) with interface layer were found, and the values were close. In addition, the electrical properties before and after water washing were nearly unchanged. The results indicate that the interface layer dominates the electrical properties of various textiles. The technology of inkjet-printed silver film on various textiles provides more freedom for achieving high resolution and rapid manufacturing for wearable electronics.