Recent advances in multifunctional electromagnetic interference shielding materials

The widespread deployment of 5G and IoT technologies has led to increasingly complex electromagnetic environments that impose more high-performance requirements on shielding materials, demanding functionalities beyond mere shielding effectiveness. In this context, this review critically evaluates the recent progress in multifunctional electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. While traditional metal-based shielding materials offer excellent EMI shielding performance, their single-function nature, coupled with intrinsic drawbacks such as high density and susceptibility to corrosion, limits their broader applications. These limitations have spurred the development of novel multifunctional EMI shielding materials that transcend mere shielding effectiveness. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in this field regarding the development of EMI shielding materials integrating additional functionalities such as thermal regulation, electrothermal response, fire safety, and self-healing capability. Notably, the emergence of stimuli-responsive smart shielding materials with dynamically tunable performance marks a significant advancement in this field, enabling real-time adaptation to complex electromagnetic environments. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of five types of multifunctional shielding materials through systematic analysis of functional integration strategies, while identifying the critical challenges and future opportunities in this area.