Robust and ultra-flexible PVDF composite film towards electromagnetic interference shielding and active personal thermal management

An ingeniously designed, lightweight, customizable, and ultra-flexible film composed of PVDF/Carbon fiber/Silver paste is developed to exhibit superior electromagnetic shielding performance, personal thermal management, self-cleaning capabilities, and other multifunctionalities. The carbon fiber (CF) is effectively dispersed throughout the PVDF matrix by employing a Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES). Additionally, a layer-by-layer silver paste structure is constructed on the film's surface through screen printing for effective EMI shielding and electrothermal conversion purposes. Remarkably, when the thickness of the silver paste reaches 18 μm, the film demonstrates an impressive EMI shielding effectiveness efficiency of 74 dB. Furthermore, this PVDF/CF/SP film showcases exceptional thermal management properties with efficient electro-thermal conversion ranging from approximately 40 to 110 °C at extremely low voltages (0.3-1 V). These characteristics enable effective de-icing capabilities and ensure heating stability. It should be noted that this multifunctional film possesses a low infrared emissivity and exhibits outstanding infrared stealth performance suitable for camouflaging individuals and objects within natural environments. With its effective fabrication technique combined with these remarkable features, this multifunctional film holds immense potential in applications related to electromagnetic interference protection as well as thermal regulation for sophisticated microelectronic systems.