m-WeTex: A Scalable, Superhydrophilic, Multifunctional Wearable Textile Platform

Non-woven polyester fabric is an inexpensive, flexible, breathable, and mechanically robust substrate ideally suited for wearable electronics. However, integrating electronic functionalities without compromising its intrinsic softness and comfort remains a significant challenge. Existing methods often reduce flexibility or require complex laboratory setups that limit scalability. In this work, we report the first demonstration of superhydrophilicity, with a static water contact angle near 0°, achieved via a scalable Kinetic Immersion Coating (KIC) technique operable outside conventional wet-lab environments. This transformation from hydrophobic (θ ~ 117.8°) to superhydrophilic (θ ~ 0°) surfaces occur without chemical post-treatments and results from residual oxygen-containing functional groups, the inherent fiber roughness, and the capillary properties of the non-woven architecture. The resulting superhydrophilic fabric enables uniform analyte dispersion and enhanced interactions with aqueous media, which are crucial for reliable sensing. Importantly, the rGO-coated fabric retains its original softness, breathability, and flexibility while achieving a surface conductivity of approximately 1.7 × 10⁴ Ω/sq, which is about 4 to 10 times lower than values reported for similar textile coatings, representing a significant improvement in electrical performance while preserving mechanical comfort. We demonstrate the versatility of this platform through multiple applications, including touch sensors achieving a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) exceeding 34, resistive deformation sensors with an SNR around 26, and textile-based electrochemical biosensors capable of detecting sweat glucose across the physiological range with a sensitivity of 0.119 µA·µM⁻¹ and a detection limit of approximately 0.471 µM. Additional functionalities include humidity-responsive conductance changes and contact-based user identification. Collectively, m-WeTex establishes an accessible, reproducible, and multifunctional approach for imparting electronic properties into everyday textiles.