title: Machine-Washable PEDOT:PSS Dyed Silk Yarns for Electronic Textiles.
abstract: Durable, electrically conducting yarns are a critical component of electronic textiles (e-textiles). Here, such yarns with exceptional wear and wash resistance are realized through dyeing silk from the silkworm Bombyx mori with the conjugated polymer:polyelectrolyte complex PEDOT:PSS. A high Young's modulus of approximately 2 GPa combined with a robust and scalable dyeing process results in up to 40 m long yarns that maintain their bulk electrical conductivity of approximately 14 S cm-1when experiencing repeated bending stress as well as mechanical wear during sewing. Moreover, a high degree of ambient stability is paired with the ability to withstand both machine washing and dry cleaning. For the potential use for e-textile applications to be illustrated, an in-plane thermoelectric module that comprises 26 p-type legs is demonstrated by embroidery of dyed silk yarns onto a piece of felted wool fabric.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology , 41296 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ryan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology , 41296 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Desalegn Alemu
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Mengistie
authors.affiliation: Institution of Technology and Science, ITN, Linköping University , 58183 Norrköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gabrielsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology , 41296 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lund
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology , 41296 Göteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7859-7909
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
keywords: e-textile; electrical conductivity; organic thermoelectrics; silk yarn; wash and wear resistance