A highly stretchable, easily processed and robust metal wire-containing woven fabric with strain-enhanced electromagnetic shielding effectiveness

Abstract

Textiles that contain integrated conducting components are drawing attention for their ability to mitigate electromagnetic radiation pollution. Maintaining effective and robust electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE) under different modes, e.g. stretching, bending and washing, is of importance in protecting humans and information-sensitive electronic devices from exposure to electromagnetic interference. In this work, a weft-stretchable, conductive fabric (W-SCF) was specially manufactured for electromagnetic shielding characterization by integrating stainless steel filament (SSF) in the weft direction. The results demonstrate that our as-prepared W-SCF was effective for shielding purpose with its EMSE dependent on the orientation of the SSF within the fabric structure. Specular reflection caused by the close arrangement of the SSF and the lower electrical resistance of the fabric on per unit area basis were responsible for the enhanced shielding properties when the fabric was stretched. Furthermore, using the fabric in a 90°/90° laminated form improved the EMSE values compared with a single layer and a 0°/90° laminated versions. Importantly, the W-SCF exhibited resistance to 10 laundering cycles, 20 stretching cycles (at 25% extension), 50 bending cycles and 100 abrasion cycles, demonstrating its robustness and durability. This work is believed to take a new step in development of reliable and advance shielding materials for special protective application.

Exploring the transverse wicking behavior of mechanically robust warp super-elastic woven fabric for tight-fitting garments

“…16,25 With an increase in strain in the warp direction of our fabric, the distance between the adjacent warp air-covered yarns decreased and the pore space between picks narrowed. 7,26 The effect of this was to create a more wick-able micro-channel in the warp direction of the fabric, driven also in part by the excellent hydrophilic nature of the cotton weft yarn. However, transverse spread in the weft direction was reduced by the increase in the distance between weft yarns under elongation.…”

Electrical properties and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of cotton/antistatic polyester knitted fabrics treated with antibacterial finish

“…The unwashed fabrics showed very good electrical conductivity, but after repeated washing of two, four and eight washing cycles, the conductivity decreased. In conclusion, from the literature review, it can be stated that there are many methods to obtain electrically conductive and electromagnetic shielding fabrics, such as using yarns made of copper, aluminium, stainless steel, etc., 11–15,21–23 carbon materials, 18,19,21,24 and/or metal nanoparticles, such as cobalt, nickel, aluminium, copper, silver, gold, titanium, and zinc, 3,6,7,10,23,25 or polyaniline and polypyrrole coatings 2–5,20 incorporated in the production of textiles used for technical applications, such as sensors, electrodes, hi-tech shielding fabrics, etc. Therefore, it can be seen that there is a lack of research on the electrical properties of textile fabrics suitable for everyday clothing.…”