Investigation on electromagnetic shielding and antiultraviolet radiation properties of ZnO@AgNWs/waterborne polyurethane composites

Abstract Materials with strong electromagnetic absorption capacity and strong ultraviolet (UV) resistance have become an increasing requirement for the next‐generation of multifunctional textiles. Herein, cotton fabric composites with ultra‐high‐efficiency electromagnetic shielding and UV resistance are provided by decorating zinc oxide (ZnO) on silver nanowires (AgNWs). ZnO modified AgNWs (ZnO@AgNWs) were prepared first, followed by filling into waterborne polyurethane (WPU) to form ZnO@AgNWs/WPU, which was used to prepare multifunctional cotton fabric composites by spreading ZnO@AgNWs/WPU evenly on cotton fabric by hand coating. The electromagnetic shielding properties of the composites were measured at the frequency range of 0.3–3000 MHz. The results showed that the maximum electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) value of ZnO@AgNWs/WPU/cotton fabric composite was 32 dB. The neat AgNWs were also used to enhance the electromagnetic shielding. The EMI SE of ZnO@AgNWs/WPU/cotton fabric composite was 52.38% higher than AgNWs/WPU/cotton fabric composite. In addition, the ZnO@AgNWs/WPU/cotton fabric composite presents well UV protecting ability. The tensile strength of cotton fabric increased 30.15% with the addition of ZnO@AgNWs. This study offers an effective strategy for the preparation of electromagnetic shielding and UV radiation resistance material.