Conductive fiber-based electromagnetic interference shielding fabrics: from fundamental mechanisms to structural design and wearable applications

The rapid development of high-frequency electronics and communication technologies has intensified the pollution due to electromagnetic interference (EMI), driving the demand for lightweight, flexible, and efficient shielding materials. Conductive fiber-based fabrics have emerged as a promising solution because of their combining high electrical conductivity with the inherent advantages of textile structures, including flexibility, breathability, and large-area manufacturability. This review systematically summarizes the recent advances in conductive fiber fabrication and textile-level structural engineering for EMI shielding applications. Both bulk composite strategies and surface modification approaches are discussed with respect to their roles in constructing continuous conductive networks and achieving a balance among conductivity, mechanical robustness, and durability. Particular attention is given to emerging conductive materials, such as carbon nanomaterials and MXenes, as well as hierarchical and multilayer fabric architectures that promote absorption-dominated shielding through enhanced impedance matching and multiple internal reflections. The structure–property–function relationships governing EMI shielding performance under mechanical deformation and environmental exposure are critically analyzed. Finally, the key challenges related to interfacial stability, long-term reliability, scalability, and sustainability are identified, and future perspectives toward intelligent, dynamically tunable, and multifunctional EMI shielding textiles are proposed. This review provides the design guidelines for next-generation wearable and flexible EMI shielding materials.