Electromagnetic Shielding and Comfort Properties of Knitted Fabrics Produced by Electrically Conductive Fibers

Electromagnetic shielding function is an important added feature for textile structures. In the existing literature, there are various studies about the electromagnetic shielding properties of knitted fabrics and there are also numerous papers focusing on the comfort properties of knitted fabrics. However, there is a lack of studies, which combine the investigation of both comfort properties with electromagnetic shielding and electrical properties in the literature. This paper focuses on investigating the electromagnetic shielding and thermal comfort properties of electrically conductive knitted fabrics, which were produced with silver-coated polyamide conductive fibers and other non-conductive fibers, namely cotton, bamboo and polyester. These investigated fabrics can be used in design of leisurewear, medical wear or underwear such as antishielding t-shirts, maternity or baby products, and safety work wear, and sleep comfort and bedding products where comfort features are as important as protection against electromagnetic field. Electromagnetic shielding efficiency, electrical resistivity, thermal properties, air permeability and water vapor permeability of the fabrics were tested, and the results were presented in the paper. The results revealed that it can be possible to design such a clothing, which would provide protection against electromagnetic waves with a high level of clothing comfort, by adding silver fiber to a conventional knitted structure.