High thermally conductive, hydrophobic and small-thickness nanocomposite films with symmetrical double conductive networks exhibit ultra-high electromagnetic shielding performance

The recent development of 5G technology and intelligent electronic products has led to a significant challenge in developing hydrophobic, high thermal conductivity, and small-thickness (less than 100 mu m) EMI shielding materials. Here, the hydrophobic and small-thickness nanocomposite films with symmetric double-conducting networks were developed by the vacuum-assisted filtration and encapsulating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The prepared 77 mu m-thick (silver nanowires/cellulose nanofiber (AgNWs/CNF)-2L&MXene-2L&CNF-1L)@PDMS nanocomposite film exhibited an ultra-high electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of 94.59 dB. Moreover, the film had excellent mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 39.3 MPa and a fracture strain of 6.2 %. It also had a high thermal conductivity of 13.9 W/mK. This work presents an effective method for the production of MXene/polymer composites with excellent mechanical properties, high thermal conductivity, high EMI shielding performance, hydrophobicity, and small-thickness.

Automated summary

The development of 5G technology and intelligent electronic products has posed a significant challenge in creating hydrophobic, high thermal conductivity, and small-thickness EMI shielding materials. This study introduces a method for producing hydrophobic and small-thickness nanocomposite films with symmetric double-conducting networks using vacuum-assisted filtration and encapsulating polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The resulting film exhibits excellent electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness, mechanical properties, and thermal conductivity. It provides a solution for the production of MXene/polymer composites with outstanding characteristics.