MXene-coated green flame-retardant cotton fabrics for wearable electromagnetic interference shielding

The rapid growth of wearable electronics has increased the demand for flexible textile-based materials capable of mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI). However, most EMI shielding fabrics emphasize electrical performance while neglecting fire safety, limiting their practical use in cotton-based systems. In this study, a multifunctional cotton fabric (CF) is fabricated through a repeated dip-coating process by integrating Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene (MX) with green flame-retardant coating of adenosine 5′-triphosphate disodium salt hydrate, ATP, (MXA@CF). The optimized MXA@CF with 20 coating cycles develops a percolated MX conductive network across the fibrous framework, resulting in an EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 48.6 dB at 10 GHz. Importantly, the shielding performance is retained after severe chemical and mechanical challenges. Beyond EMI mitigation, ATP induces effective flame retardancy, increasing the limiting oxygen index to 32%, reducing the peak heat release rate and total heat release to 54.8 kW m −2 and 2.34 MJ m −2 , respectively. By integrating durable EMI shielding and intrinsic fire resistance within a single cotton-based architecture, this work offers a practical route toward safer and more reliable textile platforms for wearable electronic applications. • Alternating Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets and biomolecules form durable conductive layers. • Ti 3 C 2 T x enables strong electromagnetic interference shielding in cotton fabrics. • Coated fabrics retain EMI performance after washing, bending, and chemical exposure. • Flame-retardant coating greatly lowers heat release and fire hazard of cotton textiles.