A Facile Scalable Conductive Graphene-Coated Calotropis Gigantea Yarn

Graphene-functionalized fibers have attracted substantial attention due to their potential applications in flexible wearable electronic devices. However, these conventional conductive materials are facing difficulties in mass production. In this paper, we report a graphene-coated Calotropis gigantea yarn by pad dyeing with graphene oxide and reduction process, which endows it with high conductivity, outstanding conducting stability, and scale production capacity. By optimizing the dyeing parameters, the modified Calotropis gigantea yarns display high electrical conductivity of 6.9 S/m. Range analysis results indicate that electrical conductivity of the graphene-coated yarns exhibits strong dependence on the concentration of graphene oxide and pad dyeing cycles. The combination between hydrogen bond of the fiber and the oxygen bond of graphene during dyeing process renders the functionalized yarns stable conductivity to washing and bending. Based on the simple fabrication process, and fascinating performance, the graphene-coated yarns show great potential in facile scale production.