The effect of plasma pre-treatment on the electrical resistance of MXene (Ti3C2Tx) coated fabrics†

The electronic (e-)textiles market is forecast to increase to a value of $11 billion in the coming decade with applications spanning industries from medical monitoring to personal thermal management. Achieving high-performance e-textiles requires conductive coatings that are continuous and well-adhered to facilitate efficient electron transport. However, this remains a challenge due to the inherently irregular microstructure of textile fibres, particularly in natural fibres. Plasma treatment is widely used in e-textile research. However, the effects of plasma treatment parameters on the electrical resistance of subsequently coated e-textiles has not been systematically investigated. This research is the first to comprehensively evaluate how plasma pre-treatment affects the electrical resistance of e-textiles, providing critical insights for optimising the fabrication process. A Taguchi design of experiment was used to examine four fabrics (linen, polyester, nylon, wool) subsequently coated with MXene, and several plasma treatment parameters (power, flow rate, time, gas). The study presents exceptional findings demonstrating the impact of optimally selected plasma treatment parameters on the subsequent electrical resistance of MXene-coated (MC) e-textiles. Each fabric type exhibits a highly significant reduction in electrical resistance when treated with the optimal plasma parameters compared to the MC-control samples. For example, MC-wool's electrical resistance was lowest using hexafluoroethane with a median electrical resistance of 345 Ω; a 99.96% decrease in electrical resistance compared to the median electrical resistance of the control MC-wool fabric. Air treatment was optimal for Nylon demonstrating a median of 22 Ω–99.7% decrease in electrical resistance from the MC-Nylon control sample. The results of this study provide valuable insight into enhancing the electrical performance of MXene-based coatings using a quick, simple and environmentally-friendly method.