Super-Stretchable Multifunctional Cotton Fabrics for Emerging Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Applications

The accelerating integration of wearable electronics and the evolving demands for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding have driven the development of EMI shielding materials toward lightweight, flexible, and multifunctional capabilities. In this study, Gadolinium orthoferrite/Copper/Polydimethylsiloxane/Cotton composite has been produced by an effective dip-coating technique, which allows uniform deposition on the cotton surface and maintains its primary low density and porous structure. The prepared composite was comprehensively characterized by XRD, FTIR, TGA/DTA, XPS, FE-SEM integrated with EDX to evaluate its structural and chemical characteristics, thermal stability, elemental composition and oxidation states, surface morphology, and the dispersion of the constituent fillers. The resulting composite fabric exhibits an outstanding shielding capability of 45.82 dB of EMI at an X band with less than 0.36 mm of thickness, and absorption is the primary attenuation mechanism. The CST simulation outcomes closely match the experimental observations, validating the robustness of the material design and the reliability of the predictive modeling framework. The composite further attains an improved electrical conductivity of 7.9 S/m, signifying effective charge carrier mobility supported by a continuous conductive network. Mechanical assessments reveal outstanding flexibility, mechanical integrity, and durability, with negligible degradation in performance under cyclic mechanical deformation. In addition, multifunctional evaluations confirm excellent hydrophobic behavior, effective breathability, and strong environmental stability, while retaining the lightweight nature and comfort intrinsic to the cotton substrate. These integrated characteristics highlight the developed fabric as a viable next-generation multifunctional candidate for flexible, wearable, and sustainable EMI shielding applications.