Scalable electroactive textile production using twisted silver-plated nylon yarn

Abstract

Abstract Scalable manufacturing of yarn actuators is critical for integrating artificial muscles into textiles, with applications in soft robotics, military, and medical fields. This study introduces a scalable and cost-effective method for mass production of the electroactive yarn actuators using readily available silver-plated nylon yarns. The process involves twisting the yarns to a critical threshold followed by a controlled annealing treatment using tension and cyclic electrical current. These yarn actuators were integrated into textile structures using a computerized weft knitting machine resulting in two designs: a standard spacer fabric and a pointelle pattern for enhanced actuation. The mechanical and electrical properties of the fabricated yarns and textiles are characterized, as well as quantifying actuation performance under varying electrical stimuli using isobaric and isometric tests. Results demonstrate the yarn actuator’s work capacity of 476 J kg −1 , and a maximum blocking force of 6 N for textile actuators, with the pointelle design exhibiting superior performance due to enhanced yarn movement and force transfer. The computerized knitting process achieves a production rate of 1.8 square meters of actuator-integrated fabric per hour. These results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of scalable manufacturing and textile integration of yarn actuators, facilitating the development of cost-effective and high-performance electroactive textiles. While current actuator performance is modest compared to that of individual, thicker yarns, this method uniquely enables the creation of functional electroactive textiles—a capability not attainable with larger-diameter actuators—and opens avenues for novel applications in wearable robotics and soft machines.