Fabrics Modified with Ag Nanowire/Cellulose Nanofibril Composites for High Conductivity, Electromagnetic Interference Shielding, Ultraviolet Protection, and Thermal Insulation

The manufacturing of a flexible, durable, large-area, and multifunctional textile material in a straightforward and cost-effective manner remains a significant challenge. In this work, we propose a stable Ag nanowire (Ag NW)-containing nanocomposite paint using cellulose nanofibril (CNF) as a dispersant and stabilizer for fabric coating on different substrates, including commercial cotton, polyacrylonitrile, polyphenylene sulfide, polyester, and polyurethane fabrics. Air plasma treatment applied to the fabrics ensured sufficient physical and chemical contact with the paint during the coating process to obtain homogeneous and stable Ag NW-decorated fabrics. The conductive Ag NW networks endowed the fabrics with a low resistivity of 70 mΩ·cm and a high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of 58.37 dB in the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz. The modified fabrics also had excellent ultraviolet (UV) protection ability, observable thermal insulation performance, and outstanding underwater durability after multiple washing cycles. The bonding mechanism between the selected fabrics and CNF was also intensively investigated, wherein hydrogen bonding was found to play a significant role. This work provides a universal and scalable method for the design of durable, multifunctional textiles.