Superelastic, highly conductive, and superhydrophobic silver nanowires@polypyrrole hybrid aerogels with outstanding electromagnetic interference shielding and Joule heating performance

Abstract

Multifunctional hybrid aerogels with high electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and Joule heating properties are urgently demanded for modern microelectronic devices and wearable electronics, especially for use in an extreme environment. Here, we demonstrated a facile method to fabricate multifunctional silver nanowire (AgNW)@polypyrrole (PPy) core–shell hybrid aerogels with superelasticity and high electrical conductivity for highly efficient EMI shielding and Joule heating. The PPy can weld the adjacent AgNWs to form core–shell structures, which could resist interfacial slip during compression and provide extra channels for electron conduction, enhancing the compressive modulus (75 times increase compared to pure AgNW aerogel), elasticity (97.6% height retention after 1000 cycles of 50% strain compression), and electrical conductivity (4554 S m⁻¹) of the aerogels. The hybrid aerogels demonstrate superb EMI shielding performance (SE_T of 100.9 dB at 1 mm and SSE/t of 134 029 dB cm² g⁻¹) and impressive Joule heating properties with ultralow-driven-voltage (238.5 °C at 1.2 V) and rapid heating rate (390 °C s⁻¹). They also exhibit superhydrophobicity (contact angle of 154.7°) and excellent stability in harsh environments. With these extraordinary comprehensive properties, the AgNW@PPy hybrid aerogels demonstrate great potential for electromagnetic pollution protection and personal thermal management in aerospace and wearable electronic devices.