Flexible, hydrophobic, and robust composite films with sandwich structure for electromagnetic interference shielding and Joule heating

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with favorable flexibility, robustness, and multipurpose capabilities are urgently desired for smart wearable devices. Herein, flexible PDMS/cellulose nanofiber/Ag nanowire composite films with sandwich structures were successfully fabricated by a facile method. First, silver nanowires (AgNWs) were uniformly stacked in the upper part of the cellulose gel using a controlled two-step vacuum-assisted filtration; next, AgNWs were tightly embedded in the cellulose matrix by a hot-pressing strategy; finally, a hydrophobic protective layer, PDMS, was introduced. The water contact angle (WCA) of composite films could reach 121°. Compared with uniformly mixed films, AgNWs deposited only on the surface of the matrix allowed the conductivity to reach 381 S/cm at a low weight fraction of AgNWs (6 wt%). Thanks to such excellent conductivity, the composite films exhibited superior EMI shielding effectiveness (49 dB) at only 40 μm thickness, and Joule heating performance, i.e., the surface temperature reached 111.3 °C at 1.5 V driving voltage. It was worth noting that after bending and peeling damage, the WCA and EMI shielding effectiveness of composite films were not significantly impacted due to the hot-pressing strategy and hydrophobic surface protection. The robust composite films show huge application potential in the wearable electronics field. [Display omitted] •AgNWs deposited only on the surface of the matrix allowed high conductivity (381 S/cm) at a low weight fraction of AgNWs (6 wt%).•The composite films were more robust due to the protection of hydrophobic surfaces.•The composite films exhibited superior EMI shielding effectiveness and Joule heating performance at only 40 μm thickness.