Electroless plating of premetalized polyamide fibers for stretchable conductive devices

Abstract

A new approach was used to produce electrically conductive polyamide yarns, employing an electroless plating technique, which involved stabilizing silver nanoparticles on the surface of the yarn using Sn²⁺. First, the [Ag(NH₃)²]⁺ complex was reduced using Sn²⁺ to produce silver nanoparticle seed layers on the fiber surface, followed by a formaldehyde reduction. The nucleation and growth of silver nanoparticles on the fiber surface were observed through SEM images, demonstrating varying degrees of silver deposition depending on the silver concentration. This deposition variation was confirmed through XRD patterns, TGA data and UV-vis spectra. Additionally, XPS characterization showed the evolution of the chemical state of silver and tin during the silver reduction process. Electrical resistance revealed that the resistance per unit length of the yarn ranged from 3 ± 0.3 Ω cm⁻¹ to 70 ± 6 Ω cm⁻¹, depending on the silver concentration. The resulting silver-plated yarn was incorporated into a stretchable device, demonstrating stable resistance over multiple cycles. This method of fabricating conductive yarn has the potential to open up new possibilities in the design and manufacture of stretchable conductive devices for flexible electronics.