Effect of yarn interlacement pattern on the surface electrical conductivity of intrinsically conductive fabrics

[Display omitted] •Fabric construction has a significant role in determining the electrical performance of intrinsically conductive fabrics.•Analysis of the yarn interlacement design and relevant structural parameters comprising pore size, crimp %, number of interlacement points, degree of warp/weft float, fabric thickness, and weight add-on % has been carried out.•Intrinsically conductive fabrics produced via oxidative free radical polymerization of polypyrrole, were subjected to conductivity and abrasion fastness tests to attain optimum balance of electrical performance and structural robustness for a given conductive fabric application.•Effect of He/O2 plasma pre-treatment on surface morphology and electrical properties was also appraised vis-à-vis plasma untreated conductive fabric substrate. The fundamental fabric construction of a conductive textile has a vital impact on its overall electrical properties. In the present study, a comprehensive assessment entailing the influence of yarn interlacement pattern on the surface conductivity of intrinsically conductive fabric (i-CF) has been undertaken. The different interlacement designs, namely, woven 1 × 1 plain, 2 × 2 basket, 2 × 1 twill, 5 × 1 twill, and weft knit single jersey were each prepared using polyester and cotton yarn. Electrical conductivity was imparted to the pristine and He/O2 plasma irradiated textile substrates via in-situ polymerization of polypyrrole (PPy) in an oxidative environment. Additionally, change in yarn surface morphology due to He/O2 plasma irradiation was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface activation caused by the plasma-treatment enabled a higher PPy uptake and better retention. The enhanced PPy retention was quantified through the abrasion fastness test by measuring i-CF conductivity after 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 rubbing cycles. In conclusion, it was observed that collectively, woven i-CFs exhibited superior surface conductivity (of order 10−3 – 10-4 Siemens sq.) than the knitted i-CFs (of order 10-6 Siemens sq.). This was primarily due to the high pore size and active ‘canal effect’ in the latter that hampered proper PPy coating and its subsequent retention on the i-CF surface. Besides pore size, factors including crimp %, number of interlacement points, degree of warp/weft float, fabric thickness, and weight add-on % come into play to synergistically dete