Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of electroless copper plationg onto cotton fabrics

With the increasing of electromagnetic pollution and the widely use of commercial and military products, there is an increasing interest in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. This paper mainly aims produce materials with high EMI shielding efficiency. Electroless copper plating of cotton fabrics was demonstrated in the present investigation. The maximum surface resistance can be obtained in 1 ppm K4Fe(CN)6 at pH=10.5. The surface characteristics of copper-plated cotton fibers were investigated in detail through the measurements of the (SEM) and WDX analysis. The shielding effectiveness (SE) of copper-coated cotton fabric was above 90 dB and the tendency of SE kept similarity at the frequencies 50 MHz to 1.5 GHz. The copper-coated cotton fabric has a practical usage for many EMI shielding application requirements.