Enhancing E-Textile Reliability: A Comparative Study of SMD-Ribbon Joints Protections Against Sweat

Abstract

The reliability of electronic-textile (e-textile) systems is critically influenced by environmental factors such as sweat, which can compromise the performance of smart textile garments in sports and healthcare applications. This study investigates the durability of joints between surface-mount device (SMD) chip resistors and conductive textile ribbons under accelerated aging conditions simulating exposure to synthetic sweat. Two types of sample protection were evaluated: basic encapsulation using a UV-curable adhesive, and additional protection employing seam-sealing textile adhesive tape. SMD resistors were attached to silver-coated copper microwire ribbons using a specialized contacting technique, and their joint resistance was monitored across four cycles of immersion in acidic synthetic sweat, highhumidity aging, and drying. Results demonstrate that while joints with only basic protection exhibited increasing electrical resistance and frequent failures after repeated aging cycles, those with additional seam-sealing protection maintained low and stable resistance, with no observable degradation. These findings confirm that the interface between textile substrates and electronic components is a critical failure point in e-textile systems, and that the use of seam-sealing adhesive tape significantly enhances connection reliability and longevity. The presented contacting and protection approach is recommended for robust integration of SMD components in smart textiles intended for demanding environments.