Fabrication of copper coated aminated graphene oxide based textiles for electromagnetic interference shielding applications

• Published in: Diamond and related materials 2024-12, Vol.150, p.111729, Article 111729
• Main Authors: Akram, Saba, Ashraf, Munir, Aziz, Humera, Farooq, Assad, Imran, Aqsa, Javid, Amjed, Ali, Sultan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Conductive textiles; Copper; Graphene; Protection; Shielding
• ISSN: 0925-9635
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diamond.2024.111729

The issue of electromagnetic radiation pollution and interference has been triggered due to rapid progress in electronic and telecommunication technologies. Serious health issues such as cancer, headaches, and improper development of the brain take place due to long-term exposure to dangerous radiation. Therefore, materials are required to provide efficient protection against electromagnetic interference (EMI). This study aimed to protect humans from dangerous radiations of different frequency by developing EMI shielding textiles. For this, a bilayer textile structure was fabricated by the electroless plating of copper on aminated GO cotton fabric. GO was applied on cotton fabric by simple dip and dry method and then amine groups were generated by solvothermal reaction. After that, copper electroless plating was done on aminated GO fabric. According to the results, remarkable EMI SE in different frequency bands was observed in developed fabrics and the maximum EMI SE was about 34 dB at 13.6 GHz. In all the frequency bands ranging between (100 MHz and 13.6 GHz), more than 99.9 % of EMI shielding observed in the developed fabric. Moreover, the developed fabric exhibited high thermal stability and surface resistance of about ∼0.18 Ω/cm. The results of this study clearly showed that the efficacy of EMI shielding developed fabric is a remarkable strategy for controlling electromagnetic radiation pollution exposing humans. [Display omitted] •EMI shielding textiles by electroless copper plating on aminated GO-coated cotton, creating a bilayer fabric structure•The developed bilayer textile structure achieved good EMI shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) for the different frequency bands•The developed process is a viable method to reduce electromagnetic interference pollution and protect human lives