Inspired by polar bear fur: Low-energy multifunctional wearable e-textiles

Multifunctional flexible wearable electronic devices will become an important trend in the future development of intelligent electronics. Concurrently, researchers have also turned their attention to reducing the energy consumption of devices during system operation. Here, a flexible, stretchable plush fabric is first knitted by using core-spun yarn similar to the structure of polar bear fur as the raw material, with full rib stitch and weft inlay stitch as the fabric structure. Furthermore, the e-textiles are developed by direct in situ polymerization of polydopamine (PDA) and polypyrrole (PPy) to endow plush fabrics with electrical conductivity. Thanks to the increased contact area of yarn-to-yarn due to the fluff-like appearance and tight fabric construction, our e-textile has high electrical conductivity (1559 S/cm). On the one hand, the test power consumption is reduced, and on the other hand, the e-textile has excellent sensitivity (GF max = -1.75) and a broad sensing range (30%), making it ideal for monitoring the state of human motion and facilitating communication. Moreover, the e-textile excels in electrothermal conversion capabilities (up to 89.5 °C at 13 V), photothermal conversion efficiency (achieving 109 °C at 200 mW/cm 2 ), and scalable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding characteristics within the X-band (22 dB). Consequently, biomimetic design provides a viable pathway for the development of adaptable multifunctional wearable devices.