To realize the full gamut of functions that are envisaged for electronic textiles (e-textiles) a range of semiconducting, conducting and electrochemically active materials are needed. This article will discuss how metals, conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes, and two-dimensional (2D) materials, including graphene and MXenes, can be used in concert to create e-textile materials, from fibers and yarns to patterned fabrics. Many of the most promising architectures utilize several classes of materials (e.g., elastic fibers composed of a conducting material and a stretchable polymer, or textile devices constructed with conducting polymers or 2D materials and metal electrodes). While an increasing number of materials and devices display a promising degree of wash and wear resistance, sustainability aspects of e-textiles will require greater attention. Graphical

Textiles are a promising base material for flexible and wearable electronic applications such as sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. An essential component in such electronic textiles (e‐textiles) is electrically conducting yarns. Here, a continuous dyeing process is presented to convert an off‐the‐shelf silk sewing thread into a wash and wear resistant functional thread with a conductivity of about 70 S cm⁻¹; a record high value for coated yarns. An aqueous ink based on the conducting polymer:polyelectrolyte complex poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is modified, to produce more than 100 m of dyed conducting threads, which are subsequently converted into e‐textiles by both hand weaving and machine embroidery. The yarns are resistant to abrasion and wear, and can be machine washed at least 15 times with retained electronic properties. The woven fabric is used to design a capacitive touch sensor which functions as an e‐textile keyboard.

The impact of the composition of blends comprising low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), isotactic polypropylene (PP) and a styrenic copolymer additive on the thermomechanical properties as well as the direct‐current (DC) electrical and thermal conductivity is investigated. The presence of 5 weight percent (wt%) of the styrenic copolymer strongly reduces the amount of PP that is needed to enhance the storage modulus above the melting temperature of LDPE from 40 to 24 wt%. At the same time, the copolymer improves the consistency of the thermomechanical properties of the resulting ternary blends. While both the DC electrical and thermal conductivity strongly decrease with PP content, the addition of the styrenic copolymer appears to have little influence on either property. Evidently, PP in combination with small amounts of a styrenic copolymer not only allows to reinforce LDPE at elevated temperatures but also functions as an electrical conductivity‐reducing additive, which makes such thermoplastic ternary formulations possible candidates for the insulation of high‐voltage power cables.

We here present results and analysis from a study of affective tactile communication between human and humanoid robot (the NAO robot). In the present work, participants conveyed eight emotions to the NAO via touch. In this study, we sought to understand the potential for using a wearable affective (tactile) interface, or WAffI. The aims of our study were to address the following: (i) how emotions and affective states can be conveyed (encoded) to such a humanoid robot, (ii) what are the effects of dressing the NAO in the WAffI on emotion conveyance and (iii) what is the potential for decoding emotion and affective states. We found that subjects conveyed touch for longer duration and over more locations on the robot when the NAO was dressed with WAffI than when it was not. Our analysis illuminates ways by which affective valence, and separate emotions, might be decoded by a humanoid robot according to the different features of touch: intensity, duration, location, type. Finally, we discuss the types of sensors and their distribution as they may be embedded within the WAffI and that would likely benefit Human-NAO (and Human-Humanoid) interaction along the affective tactile dimension.

Stretchable conducting materials are appealing for the design of unobtrusive wearable electronic devices. Conjugated polymers with oligoethylene glycol side chains are excellent candidate materials owing to their low elastic modulus and good compatibility with polar stretchable polymers. Here, electrically conducting elastomeric blend fibers with high stretchability, wet spun from a blend of a doped polar polythiophene with tetraethylene glycol side chains and a polyurethane are reported. The wet‐spinning process is versatile, reproducible, scalable, and produces continuous filaments with a diameter ranging from 30 to 70 µm. The fibers are stretchable up to 480% even after chemical doping with iron(III) p‐toluenesulfonate hexahydrate and exhibit an electrical conductivity of up to 7.4 S cm⁻¹, which represents a record combination of properties for conjugated polymer‐based fibers. The fibers remain conductive during elongation until fiber fracture and display excellent long‐term stability at ambient conditions. Cyclic stretching up to 50% strain for at least 400 strain cycles reveals that the doped fibers exhibit high cyclic stability and retain their electrical conductivity. Finally, a directional strain sensing device, which makes use of the linear increase in resistance of the fibers up to 120% strain is demonstrated.