An Experimental Study on EMI Shielding and Antibacterial Activity of Woven Fabrics Including Silver Nanocomposite Yarns

Abstract

This study investigates electromagnetic interference shielding and antibacterial activity of industrial polyester/viscose woven fabrics, including silver (Ag) treated yarns, to obtain multifunctional fabric. For this purpose, thin film-coated, nanoparticle-doped, and chemically treated yarns were used as weft in three different densities. Nine fabric samples and the control sample were woven under industrial conditions. As a result, the surface conductivity of the thin film-coated samples is significantly higher than the others in all the measurement directions. Also, these samples exhibit the best electromagnetic shielding efficiency of up to 64 dB in the 3–43 GHz frequency range. In addition, electromagnetic shielding efficiency reaches 83 dB when the samples are measured in multiple layers. The chemically treated samples exhibited better antibacterial activity, up to 74%. It was determined that the nanoparticle’s treatment type, position and density, and the number of fabric layers influence the performance properties.