Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Joule Heating Properties of Flexible, Lightweight, and Hydrophobic MXene/Nickel-Coated Polyester Fabrics Manufactured by Dip-Dry Coating and Electroless Plating

High-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with high flexibility, low density, and hydrophobic surface are crucial for modern integrated electronics and telecommunication systems in advanced industries like aerospace, military, artificial intelligence, and wearable electronics. In this study, we present flexible and hydrophobic MXene/Ni-coated polyester (PET) fabrics featuring a double-layered structure, fabricated via a facile and scalable dip-dry coating process followed by electroless nickel plating. Increasing the dip-dry coating iterations up to 10 cycles boosts the MXene loading content (similar to 31 wt %) and electrical conductivity (similar to 86 S/cm) of MXene-coated PET fabrics, while maintaining constant porosity (similar to 95%). The addition of a Ni layer enhances hydrophobicity, achieving a high water contact angle of similar to 114 degrees compared to only MXene-coated PET fabrics (similar to 49 degrees). Furthermore, the 30 mu m thick MXene/Ni-coated PET fabric demonstrates superior electrical conductivity (similar to 113.8 S/cm) and EMI shielding effectiveness (similar to 35.7 dB at 8-12 GHz) compared to only MXene- or Ni-coated PET fabrics. The EMI shielding performance of the MXene/Ni-coated PET fabric remains more stable in an air environment than only MXene-coated fabrics due to the outer Ni layer with excellent hydrophobicity and oxidation stability. Additionally, the MXene/Ni-coated PET fabric exhibits impressive Joule heating performance, swiftly converting electrical energy into heat and reaching high steady-state temperatures (32-92 degrees C) at low applied voltages (0.5-1.5 V).