Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of weft-stretch conductive woven fabrics with integrated silver-plated elastic yarns

Abstract Elastomeric conductive textiles are promising for wearable electromagnetic shielding, requiring maintained performance under stretch. Herein, weft-stretch conductive woven fabric integrating silver-plated elastic wrapped yarns were fabricated, achieving tunable electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (EMSE). The fabrics show excellent reversible stretchability (∼85 % elongation, full recovery) and stable cyclic tensile performance. Their EMSE over X-band can be modulated by key structural factors: fabric placement (determing the orientation of silver-plated yarns relative to electric field; horizontal ≈ 19 dB > vertical, negligible; due to structural anisotropy); weft density (increasing conductive content per unit area; from 6 to 10 picks/cm double shielding); applied strain (tightening the conductive network; 0–50 % strain improves EMSE by ∼44.4 %); and an optimized double-layer design where tuned spacing forms a resonant cavity, boosting peak EMSE via wave interference and coupling. This work provides a viable strategy for designing adaptive textile-based shields with precisely tailorable shielding performance through integrated material and structural engineering.