Electromagnetic Attenuation Performance of Sustainable e-Textile Derived from Polypyrrole Impregnated Jute Fabrics with Predominant Microwave Absorption

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of electromagnetic (EM) pollution is more rapid now and can be more outrageous in near future due to the exponential growth of the electronics industry. Strategy of using natural fibers for fabricating efficient EMI shielding materials is an environmentally benign solution for this serious peril. With this motivation, we are introducing novel e-textile derived from sustainable jute fabrics that are capable of suppressing and absorbing EM radiations in the frequency range 8.2–12.4 GHz (X-band). In the present work, jute fabrics were in-situ polymerized with pyrrole monomer. These conductive fabrics were then characterized and correlated for their structure, morphology, thermal stability, electrical conductivity, and EMI shielding capabilities. Moreover, this e-textile showcased excellent electrical conductivity of 1.160 S/cm and exhibited a maximum EMI shielding effectiveness value of −30.2 dB (>99.9% blockage) at 1 mm fabric thickness by a predominant absorption behavior with menial reflection or secondary pollution, which is highly beneficial for commercial applications. This is so far the first report of jute fabrics as e-textile with the highest shielding efficacy value reported, which makes them an ideal candidate for next generation of smart and wearable electronic textiles for futuristic applications such as robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

摘要

由于电子行业的指数增长, 电磁 (EM) 污染的扩散现在更为迅速, 在不久的将来可能更为严重. 使用天然纤维制造高效EMI屏蔽材料的策略是解决这一严重危险的环保解决方案. 基于这一动机, 我们正在推出一种新型的电子纺织品, 这种纺织品源自可持续的黄麻织物, 能够抑制和吸收频率范围为8.2至12.4 GHz (X波段) 的电磁辐射. 本文采用吡咯单体对黄麻织物进行原位聚合. 然后对这些导电织物的结构、形态、热稳定性、电导率和EMI屏蔽能力进行了表征和关联. 此外, 这种电子纺织品显示出1.160 S/cm的优异导电性, 并且在1mm织物厚度下, 通过具有半月形反射或二次污染的主要吸收行为, 显示出-30.2 dB(>99.9%堵塞) 的最大EMI屏蔽效能值, 这对商业应用非常有利. 这是迄今为止首次报道黄麻织物作为具有最高屏蔽效能值的电子纺织品, 使其成为机器人和人工智能 (AI) 等未来应用的下一代智能可穿戴电子纺织品的理想候选产品.

KEYWORDS:

• EMI shielding
• microwave absorption
• polypyrrole
• conductive fabrics
• e-textiles
• dielectric studies

关键词:

• 屏蔽
• 微波吸收
• 聚吡咯
• 导电织物
• 电子纺织品
• 电介质研究

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, IIT Kanpur, Department of Physics CUSAT and CAMGT Coimbatore, for providing the facility for Vector Network Analyzer, dielectric analysis, conductivity analysis, and FE-SEM and TGA analyses, respectively. Gopika G. Nair is thankful to Directorate of Collegiate Education, Government of Kerala, for providing Aspire Fellowship for this work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.