Recent Advances for Fabricating Smart Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Textile: A Comprehensive Review

A sharp elevation in the generation of electromagnetic interference (EMI) is observed, directly proportional to the increase in digital and electronic appliances. With the high growing population and enhancement in the number of electrical devices used in personal, industrial and medical sites, the issues arising due to EMI are also at their peak. EM wave interference is known to cause malfunctioning of the nearby electronic devices, destroying the signals and affecting human health, causing nausea, headaches, neural deformities etc. To avoid the harmful effect of these interferences, the personnel in its vicinity need a shielding material, protecting them from the ill effects of the electromagnetic waves. In this review article, EMI shielding textiles are being focused upon. Cotton, spandex, PET, PAN, silk fabric, etc., are modified through various methods and techniques like drop-casting, layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly, click chemistry, and inkjet printing to perform the function of shielding of EM waves. These smart, flexible, hydrophobic and light weighing fabrics can be revolutionary in diminishing the deteriorating effects of EM waves in the human body. Surface modified having high electrical conductivities and EMI SE of up to and beyond 90 dB in various frequency ranges have been reported, providing promising and alternative personal protective equipment for electromagnetic interference shielding.