High performance flexible electromagnetic interference shielding material realized using ZnO nanorod decorated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-MXene composite nanofibers

Abstract

High-efficiency, light weight, and flexible electromagnetic shielding materials are required to manage electromagnetic radiation pollution. However, preparing shielding materials that possess these features simultaneously is challenging. Herein, we report the fabrication and performance of a ZnO nanorod (NR)-decorated PVDF-MXene composite nanofiber (NF) electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material. The electrospun PVDF-MXene composite NF provided superb flexibility, while MXene encapsulated in PVDF NFs and hydrothermally decorated ZnO NRs around the NF provided multiple internal absorption sites. Consequently, a high EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 61 dB and a high absolute EMI SE of 21 830 dB cm² g⁻¹ were obtained in the X-band. Because the MXene nanoflakes were wrapped in the PVDF NFs, there was no performance degradation over time. Furthermore, under deformation conditions, only a slight decrease in EMI SE was observed owing to a protective NF layer (PVDF) on the active layer, minimizing the destruction of the NR and decorated ZnO NRs. Therefore, the ZnO NR-decorated PVDF-MXene composite NF structure developed herein can be adopted as an EMI shielding material for various applications requiring high performance, flexibility, light weight, and stability.