Variation in electrical conductivity of stretchable printed wires and electrodes due to fatigue damage in several situations

Stretchable wires and electrodes were printed on a textile substrate using a polyurethane-based conductive paste with silver fillers loading. Variation in their electrical resistivity was examined during a cyclic uniaxial tensile test at 10 % strain. The resistivity decreased to approach an equilibrium value when the sample was fixed at 10 % strain. The resistivity also exhibited a similar time-dependency during unloading after the cyclic tensile test (after-effect). In addition, the effect of mechanical fatigue should be taken into account to analyze their washability using a washing machine.