Evaluation of the impact of printing and embroidery parameters in the process of obtaining utility comfort sensors used in protective clothing dedicated to premature babies

Abstract

Biophysical comfort is one of the most important criteria for evaluating children’s clothing products, as it contributes to maintaining to the thermal balance between the human body and the surrounding environment in which the newborn resides. This article describes the influence of screen printing and machine embroidery on the development of sensors designed to measure skin parameters such as temperature and humidity using a paste containing carbon nanotubes and four different electrically conductive yarns. An additional parameter examined was the embroidery (density, with two variants: 80 % filling and 60 % filling). The experimental part of the research involved testing surface mass, material thickness, air permeability, heat resistance and water vapor resistance as well as assessing sensory and conductive properties. All prints and embroideries discussed in the study were applied to the author's original three-layer system which has thermal resistance and water vapor resistance properties at levels that ensure the safety of prematurely born children by protecting them from excessive moisture loss and maintaining thermal comfort when they are outside the incubator. The resistance of all electrodes was below 12.22 Ω, both for samples after the washing and sterilization processes.