Nanofiber Production Equipment| Macro-Micro dual wrinkled silver coatingenhances stretchable electromagneticinterference shielding and multi-sourceheating of wearable fabrics

Chem. Eng. J. (IF 13.3): Dual-Wrinkled Silver Coating Enhances Stretchable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Multi-Source Heating in Wearable Fabrics

Challenge: In the context of increasing electromagnetic pollution, developing stretchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding wearable fabrics is crucial. However, achieving satisfactory stretchable shielding capability is challenging due to the significant modulus difference between elastic substrates and rigid conductive networks.

Approach: Associate Professor Feng-Mei Su from the team of Academician Chang-Yu Shen and Professor Chun-Tai Liu at Zhengzhou University constructed a dual-wrinkled conductive network featuring macroscopic wrinkles on fabric surface and microscopic wrinkles on nanofiber surfaces by in-situ anchoring silver coatings on pre-stretched thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) electrospun fabrics.

Innovation 1: The unique geometric dual-wrinkled structure not only enhances EMI shielding performance from 57.9 dB to 77.8 dB through strengthened multiple reflection/scattering.

Innovation 2: More importantly, it protects the conductive network from damage during stretching, achieving stretchable EMI shielding performance that maintains 36 dB effective shielding at 100% strain. After strain recovery, the EMI shielding performance returns to initial levels, remaining above 65 dB even after 500 stretching cycles.

Innovation 3: Additionally, the dual-wrinkled structure endows the fabric with stretchable joule heating and photothermal conversion capabilities, enabling controllable personal thermal management.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.161526