Enhancement in ageing and functional properties of copper-coated fabrics by subsequent electroplating

This paper proposed a simple way to prepare electrically conductive multifunctional fabrics made by imparting copper nanoparticles and followed with copper electroplating. The surface and ageing properties of copper nanoparticles coated fabric were investigated. Furthermore, the problems regarding ageing properties were solved in a very simple way and various functional properties were studied. The effect of electroplating parameters (concentration of acid) against the stretch rate of fabric was studied. The influence of operating parameters on copper nanoparticles coated fabrics were characterized by Zetasizer, scanning electron micrograph, X-ray diffraction analysis, differential scanning calorimeter. Increase in electrical properties with the rate of weight gain was analyzed. The utility of simple nanoparticles coated and copper electroplated conductive fabrics were analyzed for electromagnetic shielding ability over a frequency range of 30 MHz–1.5 GHz. Furthermore, the heating performances of the fabrics were studied through measuring the change in temperature at the surface of the fabric while applying a voltage difference across the fabric. Moreover, the role coated fabrics against anti-corrosion test was performed to check the durability of electroplating.