Electrically-heated fiber, fabric, or textile for heated apparel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11825569-B2
Application number	US-202117449187-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2021
Priority date	Jan 25, 2018
Publication date	Nov 21, 2023
Grant date	Nov 21, 2023

Abstract

A heating element composite comprises a substrate of one or more fibers or threads and an electrically-conductive polymer coating comprising an electrically-conductive polymer material deposited onto the one or more fibers or threads. A thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating is at least about 100 nanometers and the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 75% of an external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate. The resulting heating element composite has a sheet resistance of from about 2Ω/□ to about 200Ω/□.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heating element composite comprising:
a substrate comprising one or more fibers or threads;
an electrically-conductive polymer coating comprising poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) deposited onto the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, wherein a thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating is at least about 100 nanometers, wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 75% of an external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, and wherein the heating element composite has a sheet resistance of from about 2Ω/□ to about 200Ω/□; and
a protective coating comprising an electrically-insulating material covering at least a portion of the electrically-conductive polymer coating.

2. A heating element composite according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises a textile sheet comprising the one or more fibers or threads collective arranged to form the textile sheet.

3. A heating element composite according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating is at least about 250 nanometers.

4. A heating element composite according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 80% of the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

5. A heating element composite according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating conformally or substantially conformally covers the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

6. A heating element composite comprising:
a substrate comprising one or more fibers or threads;
an electrically-conductive polymer coating comprising an electrically-conductive polymer material deposited onto the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, wherein a thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating is at least about 100 nanometers, wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 75% of an external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, and wherein the heating element composite has a sheet resistance of from about 2Ω/□ about 200Ω/□; and
a protective coating comprising an electrically-insulating material comprising a fluoroalkyl-based compound covering at least a portion of the electrically-conductive polymer coating.

7. A process comprising the steps of:
coupling a substrate comprising one or more fibers or threads to a deposition stage;
positioning the deposition stage and the substrate in a reactive vapor deposition chamber;
depositing an electrically-conductive polymer material onto the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate in the reactive vapor deposition chamber to form a heating element composite comprising an electrically-conductive polymer coating covering at least a portion of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, wherein the electrically-conductive polymer material comprises a vapor-phase polymerization reaction product of one or more precursor compounds deposited via reactive vapor deposition in the reactive vapor deposition chamber;
wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating has a thickness of at least about 100 nanometers and the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 75% of an external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate,
wherein the heating element composite has a sheet resistance of from about 2Ω/□ to about 200Ω/□; and
forming a protective coating comprising an electrically-insulating material covering at least a portion of the electrically-conductive polymer coating.

8. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the one or more precursor compounds comprise 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene and wherein the electrically-conductive polymer material comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).

9. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the substrate comprises a textile sheet comprising the one or more fibers or threads collective arranged to form the textile sheet.

10. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating after the step of depositing the electrically-conductive polymer material onto the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate is at least about 250 nanometers.

11. A process according to claim 7 , wherein, after the step of depositing the electrically-conductive polymer material onto the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate, the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 80% of the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

12. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating conformally or substantially conformally covers the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

13. A process according to claim 7 , wherein the electrically-insulating material of the protective coating comprises trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane.

14. A process according to claim 7 , wherein forming the protective coating comprises depositing the electrically-insulating material onto the heating element composite in a protective coating vapor deposition chamber, wherein the electrically-insulating material of the protective coating comprises a polymerization reaction product of one or more precursor monomers deposited via reactive vapor deposition in the protective coating vapor deposition chamber.

15. A process according to claim 14 , wherein the one or more precursor monomers comprise at least one of: one or more acrylic monomers; one or more cyclophane monomers; and one or more siloxane monomers.

16. A heating element composite according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate comprises a textile sheet comprising the one or more fibers or threads collective arranged to form the textile sheet.

17. A heating element composite according to claim 6 , wherein the thickness of the electrically-conductive polymer coating is at least about 250 nanometers.

18. A heating element composite according to claim 6 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating covers at least about 80% of the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

19. A heating element composite according to claim 6 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer coating conformally or substantially conformally covers the external surface area of the one or more fibers or threads of the substrate.

20. A heating element composite according to claim 6 , wherein the electrically-conductive polymer material comprises poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene).

Assignees

• Univ Massachusetts

Inventors

• Andrew Trisha L
• Zhang Lushuai
• Baima Morgan

Classifications

• H05B3/347 Primary

  woven fabrics · CPC title

• A41D19/01535 Primary

  Heated gloves · CPC title

• H05B3/146

  Conductive polymers, e.g. polyethylene, thermoplastics · CPC title

• H05B2203/011

  Heaters using laterally extending conductive material as connecting means · CPC title

• H05B2203/013

  Heaters using resistive films or coatings · CPC title