Washability and abrasion resistance of illuminative knitted e-textiles with POFs and silver-coated conductive yarns

Abstract For the integration of conductive yarns in e-textiles, knitting offers structural versatility and malleability for wider product applications contexts wearables interiors. To enable mass adoption materials, it is imperative users to be able launder these materials as part maintenance. Interactive textiles knitted from polymeric optical fibres (POFs) silver-coated are illuminate change colours via integrated touch sensor systems. Current research only focuses on washability abrasion resistance solely not both POF yarn within same fabric structure. This study novel investigates with different loop structures impact their illuminative function. POFs were structure by inlay method using a 7-gauge industrial hand-operated flatbed machine. examined how washing affect five knit structures, function textiles. Washing affected yarns. Scratches bent observed after 20 gentle cycles. However, had minimal e-textiles this study. The experiments provide evidence that withstand thus have potential market fashion interior applications.