Flexible, stretchable and electrically conductive MXene/natural rubber nanocomposite films for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding

The rapid popularity of portable and wearable electronics requires high-performance flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials to cope with increasingly severe electromagnetic wave pollution problems. To combine outstanding EMI shielding performance and excellent mechanical flexibility, we demonstrate an efficient vacuum-assisted filtration approach for the fabrication of flexible and highly conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene/natural rubber (NR) nanocomposite films by constructing interconnected MXene networks in NR matrix. The electrostatic repulsion forces originated from the negative charges of MXene and NR latex enable the MXene sheets to selectively distribute at the interfaces of the NR particles, forming an interconnected network for efficient electron transport and load transfer at low MXene contents. The resultant nanocomposite with 6.71 vol% of MXene shows a superb electrical conductivity of 1400 S m−1 and an outstanding EMI shielding performance of 53.6 dB. Furthermore, the robust and three-dimensional MXene network provides significant reinforcement to the NR matrix, exhibiting obviously enhanced tensile strength and modulus by 700% and 15000% as compared to those of neat NR, respectively. The stable EMI shielding capability and stretchability under cyclic deformations make the high-performance MXene/NR nanocomposite films promise in next-generation flexible and foldable electronics.