Demonstration of durable electronic textiles via mechanically assisted highly adhesive printing of carbon nanotube-polymer composites on commercial fabrics.

• The carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer composite (CPC) having optimal conductivity and printability is developed for electronic textile fabrication. • The mechanically assisted printing (MAP) enables highly adhesive CPC printing on general fabrics. • Durable operation of the MAP-ed CPC against the free deformation of fabrics is demonstrated. • Functional CPC patterns can be engineered by utilizing various practical patterning methods, toward specifically designed textile devices. We demonstrate the highly adhesive and uniform printing of carbon nanotube (CNT)-polymer composites (CPCs) on diverse commercial fabrics for durable electronic textiles. The mechanically assisted printing (MAP) technique proposed in this work enables the uniform and faithful printing of conductive CPCs on fabrics with excellent adhesion against fabric deformation and stretching. We have systematically studied that the printability and conductivity of CPCs can be optimized by controlling the mixture ratio of the CNTs in an adequate polymer. We also present that various practical patterning methods, such as masked printing and pattern molding, can be applied to the MAP of specifically patterned CPCs to fabricate flexible electronic circuits that operate durably on fabrics. Many diverse industrial applications may benefit from this work, including but not limited to lightweight flexible electronics and sensors, wearable devices and gears, and functional textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]