Preparation and characterization of high-performance water-based graphene dispersions for conductive coating on textiles

Studies on e-textile applications have gained momentum with advanced material technologies. Graphene derivatives have become the focus of e-textile advanced studies due to their high conductivity potential. The chemical selection while preparing graphene dispersions to functionalize textiles affects the dispersion quality and integration into the fabric. In this study, water-based green graphene dispersions were prepared using sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as a surfactant and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a binder due to its high solubility in water. The stability of graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), GNP/SDBS and GNP/SDBS/PVA dispersions were examined with the naked eye at certain time intervals. UV–vis spectroscopy results indicated that SDBS provided better dispersion and stability of graphene. The XPS results showed a strong interaction between GNP and SDBS, while the binding of PVA and SDBS in the dispersion was supported by FTIR results. Overall, the dispersion quality of water-based graphene dispersion was enhanced using PVA and SDBS for e-textile application. The electrical conductivity and tensile strength of the graphene-coated fabrics increased up to ∼1.6 (MΩ/☐) and 388%, respectively, in compared to the intact fabric.