Bio-based phytic acid-induced polypyrrole/silver nanowires coating towards multifunctional nylon/cotton blend fabrics

The functional flexible wearable textiles have a broad application prospect in many areas. However, considering the physical and chemical effects among various additives, it is still a big challenge to prepare wearable fabrics with a balance between different properties. Herein, an eco-friendly and multifunctional nylon/cotton blend fabric was constructed by phytic acid (PA)-induced polymerization of polypyrrole on the surface, followed by dip coating with silver nanowires (AgNWs). A high electrical conductivity of the treated blend fabrics (61 S.m(-1)) was obtained contributed to the excellent EMI shielding performance of nylon/cotton blend fabric (X-band similar to 38.8 dB). Meanwhile, the coating maintained the surface temperature of the fabric within a suitable range, resulting in achieving the efficient thermal management. Furthermore, the treated nylon/cotton blends achieved a remarkable reduction (83.3 % and 81.7 %) of peak heat release rate and total smoke production compared to that of the control nylon/cotton blends. In addition, the considerable antibacterial property against E. coli and S. aureus was also realized. The successful application of this simple and eco-friendly method offered the possibility of preparing safer and more versatile wearable smart textiles.