Review on PEDOT:PSS-Based Conductive Fabric

This article reviews conductive fabrics made with the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), their fabrication techniques, and their applications. PEDOT:PSS has attracted interest in smart textile technology due to its relatively high electrical conductivity, water dispersibility, ease of manufacturing, environmental stability, and commercial availability. Several methods apply PEDOT:PSS to textiles. They include polymerization of the monomer, coating, dyeing, and printing methods. In addition, several studies have shown the conductivity of fabrics with the addition of PEDOT:PSS. The electrical properties of conductive textiles with a certain sheet resistance can be reduced by several orders of magnitude using PEDOT:PSS and polar solvents as secondary dopants. In addition, several studies have shown that the flexibility and durability of textiles coated with PEDOT:PSS can be improved by creating a composite with other polymers, such as polyurethane, which has high flexibility and extensibility. This improvement is due to the stronger bonding of PEDOT:PSS to the fabrics. Sensors, actuators, antennas, interconnectors, energy harvesting, and storage devices have been developed with PEDOT:PSS-based conductive fabrics.