Conductive and durable CNT-cotton ring spun yarns

A facile and original method was developed to fabricate flexible conductive yarns using cotton roving and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs were assembled to cotton roving and then wrapped around by fibers through twisting during ring spinning. The obtained CNT treated cotton yarns (CNT-CYs) showed great electrical conductivity and durability properties. The CNT-CYs were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity, mechanical property and flexibility of CNT-CYs were investigated. The results show that electrical resistance of roving, twist and linear density of yarn affect the electrical conductivity of CNT-CYs. Combination with CNTs increased the breaking strength of cotton yarns. The electrical resistance of CNT-CYs was relatively stable during stretching and human motions. Moreover, no obvious changes in electrical resistance were found after CNT-CYs were bent 100 times. The CNT-CYs possessed good durability to repeated washing and abrasion.