Flexible and durable cellulose/MXene nanocomposite paper for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding

Flexible and multifunctional electromagnetic shielding (EMI) materials have attracted tremendous attention in the field of electromagnetic compatibility and civilian protection. However, these materials encounter an intrinsic contradiction between effective integration of multiple functions and simple, low-cost manufacture process. Herein, a highly electrically/thermally conductive MXene/cellulose nanocomposite paper was fabricated via a simple dip-coating method. Benefiting from the three-dimensional interconnected MXene (Ti₃C₂T_x) network, the resultant paper exhibits a marvelous electrical conductivity of 2756 S/m at a nanosheet loading of 1.89 vol%. Followed by a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating, the as-prepared freestanding nanocomposites with 0.2 mm thickness can reach an exceptional EMI shielding effectiveness of over 43 dB in the X and Ku band at the Ti₃C₂T_x loading of 1.07 vol%, and no apparent decline is observed after 2000 bending-releasing cycles in the durability test. In addition, an in-plane thermal conductivity of 3.89 W/(m⋅K) is achieved, which is 540% higher than that of PDMS coated neat filter paper. This work provides facile strategy to large-scale and green production of flexible and multifunctional EMI materials. Considering the prominent performance, the obtained nanocomposite paper has promising applications in aerospace, stealth weapon equipment, smart electronics and flexible devices.