Targeted Electroless Copper Plating on Ink-Jet Printed Textiles with a Copper-Silver Nanoparticles Catalyst

Abstract

Electroless copper plating is a viable method that can be used to deposit Copper selectively to the textile substrates to produce sensors, high-reliability e-textiles, and wearable electronics for various applications that include health monitors, sportswear, military, and others that are demanding high performance in unique value chain markets. Any textiles that are planned to be coated with the polymer layer must first be printed with a catalyst. In this work, polyester fabrics were ink-jet printed with a functionalized copper-silver nanoparticles catalyst in different amounts and dispositions before being electroless copper plated. UV/Vis spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the catalyst. Scanning electron microscopy was used to assess the shape and plating coverage of the fibers as well as the copper mass gain, appearance, and electrical resistance of the electroless copper coatings. A Launder Ometer and a rigidity tester were also used to assess the textiles' color fastness and stiffness, respectively. Based on the textile's structure, the results showed that the printing design, printing direction, and total number of printing cycles of the catalyst must be carefully tuned to give a metalized pattern with the appropriate conductivity, stiffness, and washing durability for e-textiles. A full copper coating that is highly conductive and has nearly equal and acceptable stiffness on both sides of the fabric can be taken into consideration as helpful markers to assess the process's appropriateness.