Recently, Professor Qing Xiaohong's team from the College of Textiles has made significant research progress in the field of smart textiles, with the findings published in the international journal ‘Nature Communications’ (2025) 16: 6362. Donghua University is the sole corresponding institution for the paper.
Conductive fibers serve as the core medium for achieving deep integration between smart textiles and wearable electronic devices. However, traditional technologies have long been constrained by interface mismatches between conductive materials and elastic substrates, making it challenging to balance conductivity and mechanical stability. This study innovatively proposes an ‘adhesion–channel synergy strategy,’ which involves constructing a three-dimensional microchannel elastic network modified with silver nanoparticles. This approach enables three-dimensional dynamic confinement and multi-level synergistic deformation of liquid metal at the fiber scale.
This design effectively enhances the bonding force between the liquid metal and the fiber interface through a cross-scale structural interlocking mechanism, solving the problems of liquid metal leakage and interface debonding. It fundamentally overcomes the three core bottlenecks of stretchable conductive yarns in terms of high strain conductivity stability, structural integrity, and environmental adaptability.
Preparation of conductive SBS/LM/Ag-SBS (SLMAS) yarns and mechanism of stable adhesion
The conductive yarns produced exhibit excellent comprehensive performance: high conductivity (0.082 Ω/cm), ultra-wide strain stability—with a resistance change rate ΔR/R₀ of only 0.703 at strains as high as 600%; and stable performance under various environmental stresses such as bending, twisting, compression, and washing. The technology developed in this research holds promise as a core material solution for wearable devices and smart textiles, thereby driving the development of new industries.
Original link to the article：https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-61444-3
