Electrically heated wearable textiles produced by conventional pigmented inks containing carbon black

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the utility of carbon black containing coating formulations that are conventionally used for pigment printing of textiles in fabricating electrically heated fabrics. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, electrical and thermal characterisation of the coating system was carried out to establish the feasibility of the system for use in the manufacturing of flexible heating elements on textile substrates. The coating formulations were applied via a simple padding technique followed by stitching the electrodes using a conductive yarn. Findings The heating elements of different sizes thus produced showed Ohmic behaviour as a resistor and attained a targeted temperature difference of up to 40°C within the applied voltage range. A prototype heater was also produced, and thermography results showed uniform heating and cooling of the heater that was incorporated into a jacket. Originality/value The proposed method is envisaged to be very practical for the realisation of completely textile-based heating elements of different shapes and sizes. Furthermore, the proposed manufacturing method can be used to convert conventional ready-made articles of clothing into heated textiles for various applications.