Lightweight and flexible MXene/CNF/silver composite membranes with a brick-like structure and high-performance electromagnetic-interference shielding

With the increasing global electromagnetic pollution, it is more and more important to develop lightweight, flexible, and high electromagnetic shielding materials. Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal material MXenes have good conductivity and excellent electromagnetic shielding performance. Herein, a facile and effective method is reported to synthesize lightweight and flexible MXene/CNF/silver (MCS) composite membranes with a brick-like structure and high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding. MCS composite membranes have an electromagnetic shielding performance of ≈50.7 dB due to MXene self-reduction of silver nanoparticles and the brick-like structure, compared with that of MXene/CNF (MC) membranes (≈14.98 dB). In addition, the MCS composite membranes exhibit super-thin thickness (46 μm) and good tensile strength (up to 32.1 MPa), and their good mechanical properties are attributed to the addition of CNFs. Moreover, the MCS composite membranes show good electrical conductivity (588.2 S m-1). Therefore, MCS composite membranes that are lightweight and flexible and have high electromagnetic shielding performance can replace other electromagnetic shielding materials and be used in aerospace, weapon equipment, and wearable smart materials.