Research on the Planar Electrical Anisotropy of Conductive Woven Fabrics

The main aim of the research is to determine electrical anisotropy of woven fabrics to describe the multidirectional dependence of the electrical resistance of woven fabrics. The van der Pauw electrodes configuration is used to determine the electrical resistance. Scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) analysis is carried out to identify the real amount of conductive elements on a fabric surface as a result of yarns or fabric metallization and to explain the electrical conductivity of the textile materials. The planar electrical anisotropy of electroconductive woven fabrics is observed. The maximum and minimum values of resistances of woven fabric are connected with the weft/warp of which direction coincides with the direction of the longitudinal and transversal axes in the sample plane. SEM–EDS analysis confirms that the electrical conductivity of fabrics depends on the samples elemental composition and the amount of metals deposited on yarns or woven fabrics. It is observed that the sample metallization with thick coating gives a better solution than weaving textiles from coated yarns from the point of view of electrical properties.