Platinum coating on silk by a supercritical CO2 promoted metallization technique for applications of wearable devices

Highly reliable Pt coating on silk textile was practiced by supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) promoted electroless plating in this study. Electroless plating is a facile method to integrate polymeric and metallic materials, and sc-CO2 was introduced to the process to enhance the electroless plating characteristics. Firstly, the palladium organometallic complex was inlaid into the silk substrate without damaging the silk structure in the catalyzation step. Secondly, a smooth and compact Pt layer was realized in the metallization step. Mechanisms involved in the sc-CO2-assisted metallization step were focused and discussed in this study. The lowest electrical resistance was found at 50 mΩ in the sample metallized with the optimized conditions. The adhesive test showed robustness of the composite material. Corrosion resistance results revealed the applicability of this silk-Pt composite materials prepared by the sc-CO2-assisted electroless plating in wearable device technology. [Display omitted] •Effects of supercritical CO2 (sc-CO2) on Pt metallization of silk were investigated.•Smooth and compact Pt layer on the silk was realized by the sc-CO2 metallization•Adhesion between the Pt and the silk was promoted by the sc-CO2 metallization.•Electrical resistance was in the application range for the electronic devices.•The results demonstrated the applicability in medical and wearable devices.