Abstract

The stability of wearable textile antennas after 20 reference washing cycles was evaluated by measuring the reflection coefficient of different antenna prototypes. The prototypes’ conductive parts were screen-printed on several textile substrates using two different silver-based conductive inks. The necessity of coating the antennas with a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coating was investigated by comparing coated with uncoated antennas. It is shown that covering the antennas with the TPU layer not only protects the screen-printed conductive area but also prevents delamination of the multilayered textile fabric substrates, making the antennas washable for up to 20 cycles. Furthermore, it is proven that coating is not necessary for maintaining antenna operation and this up to 20 washing cycles. However, connector detachment caused by friction during the washing process was the main problem of antenna performance degradation. Hence, other flexible, durable methods should be developed for establishing a stable electrical connection.

Details

Title
Performance Study of Screen-Printed Textile Antennas after Repeated Washing
Author
Kazani, I 1 ; Declercq, F 2 ; Scarpello, M L 3 ; Hertleer, C 4 ; Rogier, H 2 ; D Vande Ginste 5 ; De Mey, G 6 ; Guxho, G 7 ; L Van Langenhove 4 

 Ghent University, Department of Textiles, Technologiepark 907, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium; Polytechnic University of Tirana, Department of Textile and Fashion, Square ‘Mother Teresa’, No.4, Tirana, Albania 
 Ghent University, Department of Information Technology, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Interuniversity Micro Electronics Center (IMEC), Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium 
 3Ghent University, Department of Information Technology, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 Ghent University, Department of Textiles, Technologiepark 907, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium 
 Ghent University, Department of Information Technology, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 Ghent University, Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41, 9000 Ghent, Belgium 
 Polytechnic University of Tirana, Department of Textile and Fashion, Square ‘Mother Teresa’, No.4, Tirana, Albania 
Pages
47-54
Publication year
2014
Publication date
2014
Publisher
De Gruyter Poland
ISSN
14709589
e-ISSN
23000929
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2545196869
Copyright
© 2014. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.