# Flexible Coated Conductive Textiles as Ohmic Heaters in Car Seats
## 6 Design of Heating Fabrics Seats and Thermo-Electric Response
At the moment, the sources of power used in cars typically provide a voltage of 12 V, while those used in large trucks provide a voltage of 24 V. Heating element samples of carbon fabric yarn with the placement of the thermocouple for central temperature measurements inside the samples are shown in Figure 10 [84]. Low-voltage equipment was utilised (having a maximum tendency to supply 12 V), and the power was rated at 40 W. The dimensions of the samples were maintained at 10 \(\times\) 10 cm (Figure 11) [86]. Multiple strategies were used during each testing step in order to maximise thermal efficiency. In the very first step, the heating accuracy, as well as the lowest and highest temperatures within each sample, was taken into consideration when evaluating five patterns in the form of samples. The range of temperature noted for each sample is shown in Figure 11. The pictures were recorded by an infrared camera associated with the FLIR Research IR software program [86]. Figure 11: Surface temperature of Cu-electroplated fabrics and Cu-NPs-coated fabric sample. Reproduced with permission from [[PERSON]], [Enhancement in ageing and functional properties of copper-coated fabrics by subsequent electroplating]; published by [Springer], [2018] [56]. Figure 10: Heating element samples: (**a**) left: BekinoxVR VN 14.3 EC yarn (**b**) middle: carbon fibre yarn (zigzag trajectory), (**c**) right: placement of the thermocouple for central temperature measurements inside the samples, and (**d–f**) heating performance of carbon fibres knitted yarns. [Reproduced with permission from [[PERSON]], [Textile elements for car seat to improve user’s driving comfort], published by [SAGE], [2021] [85]. [PERSON] et al. [56] proposed a simple method for producing electrically conductive multifunctional textiles through embedding them with copper oxide nanoparticles followed by electroplating with copper. The surface and ageing characteristics of a fabric coated with copper nanoparticles were examined. Furthermore, ageing property issues were addressed in a very simple manner, and different functional properties were investigated. The effects of electroplating variables (acid concentration) on the fabric stretch rate were also investigated. The fabric coated in copper oxide nanoparticles was used as a substrate. In 1 L of distilled water, 250 g of copper (II) sulphate pentahydrate (CuSO4.5H2O) was solubilized. Then, gradually, 70 g of 95% conc. H2 SO4 was added. The results indicated that the electrical power source had a rating of 24 V/2 A. A continuous voltage with current of 1.9 V \(\pm\) 0.1 A was maintained across the electroplating procedure. The cathode was joined to the conductive fabric (covered with copper nanoparticles), which was used to deposit Cu metal, whereas the anode was coupled to a Cu plate that functioned as a reservoir of Cu metal. The solution was made to circulate continuously in the electroplating chamber. The heating characteristics of the fabrics treated with Cu nanoparticles and fabric samples electroplated with Cu were assessed (Figure 11). The conducting fabric samples displayed the highest surface temperatures of 127, 108, and 94.8 \({}^{\circ}\)C for copper-plated fabric samples (S3, S6, and S9) and 72.6 \({}^{\circ}\)C for fabrics treated solely with copper oxide NPs at 5 V and with a time interval of 1 min, respectively. As a result, the developed fabrics performed well in terms of heat supply. These fabrics are suitable for thermal applications in cold environments [87]. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-whiskers (NWs) were incorporated into the carbon fibre (CF) surface in order to evaluate changes in mechanical properties and ohmic heating for carbon-fabric-reinforced-green-epoxy composites. The ZnO-NWs have been hydrothermally synthesized onto the CF surface in order to create laminated composites that possess various proportions of carbon weave sheets.