Textile–Plastic Composite Material for Sensing Pressure and Proximity Conjugated with Heating Applications

Smart textile-plastic composite (STPC) systems designed for sensing and heating capabilities are of growing interest for applications such as pressure distribution, position recognition, obstacle avoidance, human-computer interaction, and other functions. However, achieving industrial scalability with functional system capabilities in an STPC while maintaining desired mechanical properties remains challenging. Here, an advanced method is discussed in detail for employing woven piezoresistive fabrics for pressure sensing and knitted triboelectric textiles containing stainless steel surfaces for proximity detection, conjugated with heating capabilities to process the STPCs. The fabricated STPCs were integrated into three distinct plastic layers, enabling the simultaneous functions of monitoring the pressure distribution, proximity detection, and heating capabilities. The performance of STPCs exhibits rapid response times (∼44 ms) and low hysteresis behavior and maintains ∼95% voltage stability after 10,000 cycles. Additionally, the pressure sensing STPC displays pressure sensitivity by altering electrical resistance, enabling lightweight monitoring. Moreover, the proximity sensing composite effectively detects objects in the range of 0.5-3 cm, suitable for safety systems by triggering alarms or control actions upon obstacle detection, while the textile heater composite achieves Joule heating, reliably reaching temperatures from 22 to 80 °C within 20 min at a 5 V input. All measured real-time parameters or data from these functions were transmitted wirelessly to a smartphone, demonstrating the potential of STPC for industrial applications and enhancing operational efficiency, scalability, and safety in advanced functional systems.