The influence of distribution and deposit of conductive coating on shielding effectiveness of textiles

This study presents the investigation of electrically conductive fabrics with low resistivity, coated with formulation containing the conjugated polymer system – poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulphonate (PEDOT-PSS). The samples of fabrics were coated with PEDOT-PSS, using a screen printing method, by different patterns or coating their surface fully with different coating deposit. Methods for measurement of electrostatic properties, reflection and transmission as well as the assessment of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) shielding effectiveness were used for the characterization of electrical properties of developed samples. EMR shielding properties were investigated within 2–12 GHz frequency bands. The highest attenuation of the electromagnetic energy among tested fabrics was obtained on the fabrics fully coated with paste and it depended on deposit considerably. The influence of distribution and deposit of conductive coating on shielding effectiveness of textiles were determined. Correlation between shielding effectiveness and electrostatic properties of developed coated fabrics was also discussed. Electrical properties of samples coated with formulation containing PEDOT-PSS were compared with these of fabrics with metalized yarns, developed by us earlier. The results of EMR shielding measurements showed that fabrics coated with the paste containing conductive polymer system compared to fabrics with in-weaved conductive metalized yarns have certain advantages as EMR shields.