Bioinspired ultra-thin polyurethane/MXene nacre-like nanocomposite films with outstanding electromagnetic interference shielding performances and synergistic mechanical properties

As electronic devices are rapidly developing and growing in huge numbers by hour, there is urgent demand in developing next generation electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials, which need to be flexible, ultra-thin, light in weight, mechanically strong and highly efficient in blocking the electromagnetic waves. We address this problem by fabricating polyurethane/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanocomposite films with nacre-like “brick and mortar” highly ordered nanostructure. The nacre mimetic polyurethane/MXene nanocomposite films combine impressive flexibility, very good mechanical properties ( tensile strength ~ 100 MPa, fracture toughness ~ 3.0 MJ m-3 ), superior electric conductivity (~ 2897.4 S cm-1), outstanding EMI shielding properties (thickness specific shielding effectiveness: 33771.92 dB cm2 g-1), and ultra-small thickness (< 10 μm), as can be attributed by the bioinspired materials design and careful choice of polyurethane as polymer matrix. We envisage further advancing of the properties profiles of the EMI shielding nanocomposites via optimizing the soft polymer interactions and their wide applications in different fields.