Gallium-based liquid metal (LM) with intriguing high electrical conductivity and room-temperature fluidity has attracted substantial attention for its potential application in flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, the EMI shielding performance of the existing LM-based composites is unsatisfying due to the irreconcilable contradiction between high EMI shielding efficiency (SE) and low thickness. In addition, the research on environmentally stable EMI shielding material has become an urgent need due to the increasingly sophisticated application scenarios. Herein, we prepared a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) bridging LM layered heterostructure nanocomposite with the liquid-infused slippery surface (S-rGO/LM), which exhibits an ultrahigh X-band EMI SE of 80 dB at a mere internal thickness of 33 μm, and an extremely high value of 100 dB at an internal thickness of 67 μm. More significantly, protected by the ultrathin (2 μm) yet effective slippery surface, the S-rGO/LM film exhibits exceptional EMI shielding stability (EMI SE stays above 70 dB) after enduring various harsh conditions (harsh chemical environments, extreme operating temperatures, and severe mechanical wearing). Moreover, the S-rGO/LM film also demonstrates satisfying photothermal behavior and excellent Joule heating performance (surface temperature of 179 °C at 1.75 V, thermal response <10 s), which endows it with the capability of anti-icing/de-icing. This work proposes a way to construct an LM-based nanocomposite with reliable high-performance EMI shielding capability, which shows great potential for applications in wearable devices, defense, and aeronautics and astronautics.
Keywords: electromagnetic interference shielding; harsh conditions; layered heterostructure; photo/electrothermal de-icing; slippery surface.