In the present research, an advanced silane-bonded polydopamine (PDA) coating through a simple, low-cost, and highly effective technique was employed to enhance the stability of copper-coated electromagnetic shielding fabrics. Coating the metalized nonwoven PET fabric with PDA can protect it from oxidation, mechanical forces, and extreme chemical conditions such as acid and alkali corrosion. The coated nonwoven fabric retained its excellent electromagnetic shielding effect even after machine- and handwashing cycles, showing average shielding effectiveness (SE) values above 41 dB for PDA@MEFTEX and Si-QAC/PDA@MEFTEX samples, and the average SE remained consistently above 39 dB under acidic and alkaline conditions. The PDA-coated MEFTEX did not significantly increase the surface and volume resistivities and exhibited excellent thermal insulation properties. In addition, silane-bonded PDA coating increased the softness, acted as a barrier, and provided a perfect interface that inhibits the penetration of corrosive ions from the surroundings. This outcome further highlights the promising impact of the novel coating, serving as protective coverage for metalized nonwoven fabric and providing good physical and thermal properties. This method can effectively protect electromagnetic shielding cloth, prolong the use time of shielding material, and expand its scope of application.

The fabrics with electromagnetic interference (EMI) have been used in various fields. However, most studies related to the EMI fabrics focused on the improvement of the final electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EM SE) by adjusting the preparation parameters while the breathability of the EMI fabrics was affected and the visible surficial patterns on the EMI fabric was limited. In this work, the two samples based on the Song Brocade structure were fabricated with surficial visible pattern ‘卐’. One was fabricated with silver-plated polyamide (Ag-PA) yarns and the silk yarns, the another with polyester (PET) yarns and the silk yarns. The weaving structure of the two samples were investigated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and laser optical microscopy (LOM). The resistance against the EM radiation near field communication (NFC) and the ultraviolet (UV) light was also evaluated. Besides, the surface resistance, the air permeability and the water evaporation rate were investigated. The results revealed that the ‘卐’ appeared successfully on the surface of the two samples with stable weaving structure. The Ag-PA yarn-incorporated Song Brocade fabric had the EMI shielding effectiveness value around 50 dB, which was supported by the low surface resistance less than 40 Ω. The excellent NFC shielding of the Ag-PA yarn-incorporated Song Brocade was also found. The ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) value of the Ag-PA yarn-incorporated Song Brocade fabric was higher than 190. The air permeability and the evaporation rate of the Ag-PA yarn-incorporated Song Brocade fabric was higher than 99 mm/s, and 1.4 g/h, respectively. As a result, the Ag-PA yarn-incorporated Song Brocade fabrics were proposed for both the personal and the industrial scale utilization.