Hydrogel-based composites beyond the porous architectures for electromagnetic interference shielding

Abstract With the rapid development of the electronic industry and wireless communication technology, electromagnetic interference (EMI) or pollution has been increasingly serious. This not only severely endangers the normal operation of electronic equipment but also threatens human health. Therefore, it is urgent to develop high-performance EMI shielding materials. The advent of hydrogel-based materials has given EMI shields a novel option. Hydrogels combined with conductive functional materials have good mechanical flexibility, fatigue durability, and even high stretchability, which are beneficial for a wide range of applications, especially in EMI shielding and some flexible functional devices. Herein, the current progress of hydrogel-based EMI shields was reviewed, in the meanwhile, some novel studies about pore structure design that we believe will help advance the development of hydrogel-based EMI shielding materials were also included. In the outlook, we suggested some promising development directions for the hydrogel-based EMI shields, by which we hope to provide a reference for designing hydrogels with excellent EMI shielding performance and multifunctionalities.