Bamboo fabric is subjected to solvent treatment with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) before metal deposition. Raman and IR analyses indicate that MPTS is successfully grafted on the fabric. Copper is deposited on the pretreated fabric by a palladium-free catalytic electroless process, and then copper/bamboo fabric (Cu/BF) composite is obtained. SEM (scanning electron microscopy) observation reveals that copper is uniformly covered on the fabric. Chemical composition and crystal structure of the composite are detected by EDX (energy-dispersive X-ray analysis), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and XRD (X-ray diffraction) measurements, peaks for Cu-0 are found in these patterns. The water absorption ratio for the title composite is about 162% by immersion in water, or 8.9% by putting in an environmental condition (humidity of 65 +/- 2%). The Cu/BF composite is firm and can pass a Scotch (R)-tape peel adhesion test. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of the composite (copper on fabric: 39 g/m(2)) is more than 48 dB at frequency ranging from 0.2 to 1000 MHz. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.