Understanding Anti-static Conductive Fibers and Textiles
Abstract. This article mainly discusses the principles and methods of anti-static textile materials, introduces the types and production methods of anti-static fibers, as well as the production methods and testing standards of anti-static fabrics. BEGOODTEX provides high-performance anti-static flame retardant fabrics, which are widely used in industrial protective clothing and other fields.
1. Overview
Mechanism of Static Electricity Generation
The attraction of valence layer electrons (known as electronegativity) varies depending on the atoms that make up textile materials. Materials with high electronegativity will attract valence electrons from materials with low electronegativity to move or transfer toward them, resulting in some materials carrying positive charges and others carrying negative charges. The process of generating an electric charge in a material is called electrification. Due to different conditions and environments, charges on the surface of materials can be generated or dissipated. When reaching equilibrium, if the material is not electrically neutral, the charge carried is called static charge. The charging of materials and the resulting behavior are called electrostatic phenomena.
During the production, processing, and use of fibers and their products, static electricity is generated due to factors such as friction, stretching, compression, peeling, electric field induction, and hot air drying.
Hazards of Static Electricity
1. Affects the wearing performance of clothing
The static electricity generated by clothing made of different materials can cause clothing to entangle with each other, making it inconvenient to wear. Chemical fiber clothes, due to severe static electricity, are prone to absorbing dust particles with different charges in the air, which can easily contaminate the clothes; Synthetic clothing is also particularly prone to absorbing dandruff. Wearing synthetic clothing generates high static voltage due to friction, which can discharge when touching conductive objects such as metal or shaking hands with people, resulting in an uncomfortable electric shock sensation.
2. Causing accidents
When people wear clothing that gathers static charges, those charges seep through tiny gaps in the air to create sparks around them. These sparks have enough energy to set off or even trigger explosions in flammable and explosive gases nearby. Incidents like people wearing clothes causing accidents when gasoline barrels are detonated or ether anesthesia rooms in hospitals catch fire; dust, in factories igniting; and static electricity leading to parachute failures and resulting in casualties have been observed.
3. Affects human health
The impact of electricity on the human body remains unclear to many individuals. There are varying beliefs about its effects, such as increasing blood pressure or triggering calcium depletion in the bloodstream and leading to skin allergies among possibilities. However, it is evident that the consideration of electricity in the materials used for artificial organ research has garnered significant interest due to its potential implications for human health.
4. Impact on the quality of textile products
When fibers become loose in the process of being separated from each other due to electricity in the machinery operation environment find their way to machine frames and pipelines among other areas unevenly thereby causing irregular thickness in the layer of produced fiber along with getting entangled with pressure rollers and other machinery parts making it challenging for production to proceed smoothly. In the sorting phase of production charged fibers have a tendency to get tangled up with machine components disrupting the manufacturing process and leading to the release of short fiber dust, into the air thus resulting in contamination.
2. Anti-static Principles and Methods of Textile Materials
Anti-static Principle of Textile Materials
Static electricity is usually created in two ways. Through contact and induction by existing static electricity itself, it produces more static charge accumulation. Therefore, anti-static indicates the capacity of static materials to decrease the transfer of charge resulting in less static build minimizing friction or touch, with items and hence accomplishing an anti-static effect. The usual techniques employed include the options.
1. Improve the hydrophilicity of fibers.
Water is excellent at conducting electricity because when fiber or fabric is wet with an amount of water it allows the charge to disperse rapidly through the water present on it thereby reducing the likelihood of static electricity buildup due, to the fiber’s high moisture absorption capability.
2. Charge neutralization method
The process of charge neutralization includes blending two substances with opposing charges on a scale to balance out charges, with varying polarities without completely getting rid of them; instead, it nullifies surface charges.
3. Corona discharge
The corona discharge method involves redirecting electricity from fabrics without needing to ground them by using various types of conductive fibers like metal fibers and carbon-based fibers or applying conductive coatings like carbon black, on synthetic fibers’ outer layer or creating composite spinning of carbon-based or metal compounds with fiber forming polymers to generate conductive material composite fibers.
Textile Anti-static Methods
The techniques commonly employed in real-world production to prevent electricity primarily include raising the humidity levels of the environment and enhancing the conductivity of fiber materials with the fundamental approach being to lower fiber resistance and enhance fiber conductivity.
Typically, there are three approaches to addressing static, in textiles. One method involves applying static finishing agents to the fabric.
The next technique includes enhancing the fibers through grafting with materials and combining them with other hydrophilic fibers.
Blended or woven conductive fibers represent the type of material used in this context. These fibers work by enhancing the fabric’s ability to retain moisture and promoting the release of static electricity.
In settings or after several washes in the laundry machine the treatment effect might not last long or make a noticeable difference; The third approach can effectively and continuously tackle the issue of static electricity in fabrics and is suitable for specific types of functional attire, like anti-static uniforms.
3. Production of Antistatic and Conductive Fibers
Types of anti-static and conductive fibers
Based on the categorization of materials used in fibers, they can be classified into anti-static formulations, metallic varieties, and carbon black-based anti-static conductive fibers; Polymer based conductive fibers and nano-scale metal oxide anti-static fibers are examples as well.
1. Antistatic formulation: Antistatic and conductive fibers
The process of incorporating static and conductive fibers into anti-static formulations is straightforward and does not significantly alter the resin’s inherent characteristics. This integration facilitates the creation of a layer, on the surface of the material which effectively lowers its surface resistivity and expeditiously dissipates any accumulated static electricity.
2. Metal-based anti-static and conductive fibers
This fiber variant is produced by exploiting the conductivity of metals using techniques like the direct drawing method that involves repeatedly pulling the metal wire through a mold to elongate it. Alloys such as steel, copper and aluminum along with precious metals, like gold and silver are commonly employed in this process. Another approach is the cutting method where metal is sliced into filaments and combined with regular fibers to create conductive textiles.
3. Carbon black-based anti-static and conductive fibers
Inorganic materials like carbon black and graphene are often used for their static and conductive properties in manufacturing conductive fibers through processes such, as doping method application or fiber carbonization treatment.
4. Polymer anti-static and conductive fibers
Polymer materials are typically seen as insulators; however, the introduction of polyacetylene materials in the 1970s challenged this notion. Since then other polymer-based conductive materials like polyaniline have been discovered, leading to a surge, in research exploring the conductivity of polymer substances.
5. Nanoscale metal oxide anti-static and conductive fibers
The light and see-through properties of metal oxide powders can create anti-static fibers that are light in color and very clear in appearance. Out of the ways to make conductive fibers out there today this method stands out, as trendy and full of potential.
| Comparison of Characteristics of Conductive Additives | |
| Types of fillers | Main advantages and disadvantages |
| carbon black | Cheap and stable; Due to the black color of the product affecting its appearance, a small particle size is required; High resistivity |
| carbon fiber | Has excellent corrosion resistance and radiation resistance; High strength and high modulus; High resistivity and difficult processing |
| silver | Stable properties and low resistivity; Expensive price and silver migration issue |
| Zinc oxide whiskers | Low dosage, good stability, and light color; High resistivity |
| titania | Good stability and light color; High resistivity |
| Nano tin dioxide (antimony doped) | Good stability, light color, small particle size, high transparency |
Production of anti-static and conductive fibers
1. Antistatic finishing
Anti-static fibers can be produced using two manufacturing techniques that involve the use of anti-static agents to categorize the fibers. The external anti-static method and the internal anti-static method.
The external anti-static approach involves applying an anti-static agent onto fiber surfaces, known as the surface finishing method, which can be categorized into temporary and durable anti-static finishing methods.
Implementing a method to prevent static electricity involves adding an anti-static agent, inside the fiber.
2. Chemical modification of fibers
In most cases, chemical reactions are used to modify textile fibers in order to produce static fibers. The first method involves chemical alterations to create static fibers while the second method involves blending or composite techniques for the same purpose.
3. Inlaid or blended conductive fibers
In the 1960s, conductive fibers were introduced. At first as organic conductive fibers coated with carbon black and later as fibers coated with metal, on the surface instead. The mechanical characteristics of these metalized fibers differ notably from regular fibers which makes blending them more challenging and explains why they are not commonly used.
4. Production of Anti-static Fabrics
Wearability and design requirements of anti-static fabrics
Anti-static textiles need to fulfill their static functionality standards while also adhering to the look and specifications typical of regular clothing materials. These anti-static textiles are usually employed in settings requiring anti-static properties like aerospace operations or industries like defense petroleum extraction, mining, and healthcare. They are commonly utilized as items, in everyday life. As a result, the structure of textile design should prioritize denser fabrics.
Production method of anti-static fabric
Using the creation of anti-static fabric as a case study to illustrate the manufacturing process of anti-static fabric.
The process of creating static acrylic fiber typically involves modifying acrylic fiber to be anti-static through various methods such as treating the fiber surface and blending with other materials or chemicals, like composite spinning and adding conductive materials for fillings.
1. Fiber surface treatment method
When treating fibers to reduce electricity buildup at the surface layer typically involves using conductive metal salts or surfactants known as anti-static agents through methods, like spraying or coating the fibers and their fabrics.
2. Blending modification method
By incorporating a quantity of conductive material like carbon black or metal oxide into acrylic fiber and mixing it with the acrylic fiber solution yields long-lasting anti-static acrylic fiber. This particular anti-static fiber demonstrates a lasting static impact; however, the added anti-static agent needs to possess specific thermal stability characteristics and be compatible with the fiber, during processing.
3. Ontology chemical modification method
By incorporating monomers during the production of acrylic copolymer material and engaging in copolymerization reactions to create hydrophilic acrylic fibers enhance the moisture absorption capabilities of the final product and impart anti-static properties to acrylic fibers.
4. Composite spinning method
The conductive elements within the conductive fibers made through composite spinning run continuously along the lengthwise direction and easily release built-up charges. Different composite configurations consist of skin core designs. Single or multiple-point circular structures as well as sandwich formations.
5. Conductive material filling method
In spinning process, conductive core layer resides conductive materials and fibers for enhanced conductivity purposefully added to the fiber spinning solution separately, from the composite spinning process itself.
5. Performance Testing of Anti–static Textiles
Electrostatic performance parameters and related standards of textiles
Testing electricity involves examining various aspects such as identifying potential sources of static electricity hazards and evaluating the static electricity properties of materials and products along with assessing the sensitivity of flammable and explosive materials to static electricity effects. Standards governing the properties of textiles encompass guidelines, like GB/T 12703 series and FZ/T 01059 among others.
Testing method for electrostatic properties of textiles
The testing methods for the electrical charge of fibers or fabrics can be roughly divided into two categories: qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis can observe the presence of discharge sparks, electric shocks, discharge sounds, and attraction (dust adhesion, contamination, and entanglement around the body).
The basic testing methods include: static voltage half-life method, frictional charged voltage method, charge surface density method, dynamic static voltage method, charge quantity method, and resistivity method.
6. Exploring BEGOODTEX Flame Retardant Anti-static Fabric
BEGOODTEX fabrics possess static properties that are attained using particular techniques tailored for textiles to prevent static electricity buildup by integrating conductive fibers or applying anti-static treatments. This approach aids in discharging charges and minimizing the likelihood of sparks that may trigger flammable materials or harm delicate electronic parts.
BEGOODTEX flame retardant fabrics not only have anti-static properties but also undergo treatment, with state-of-the-art flame retardant chemicals to meet safety regulations effectively. This involves the application of lasting flame retardants to cotton fibers and the fabrics they are woven into ensuring fire resistance is maintained for approximately 50 washes.
The flame retardant and anti-static features of BEGOODTEX fabrics make them ideal for uses such as protective workwear in industries where fire risks and static electricity are significant concerns. These versatile textiles offer safeguards for workers and play a crucial role, in upholding workplace safety standards.
