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Textile-Scale Liquid-Metal Fibers with Strain-Invariant Conductivity Enable Absorption-Enhanced EMI Shielding
Ruosong Li1, Ruyi Tao1, Youpeng Huangfu2
1School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710127, People's Republic of China.
Nano-Micro Letters
|March 12, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed magnetic liquid metal (MLM) fibers for advanced soft electronics. These stretchable, conductive textiles offer strain-invariant resistance, tunable heating, and electromagnetic interference shielding.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Soft Electronics
- Conductive Composites
Background:
- Conventional conductive composites degrade under strain.
- Liquid metals (LMs) offer unique conductivity and fluidic properties.
- Need for robust, stretchable conductive materials in soft electronics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop novel sheath-core fibers using magnetic liquid metals (MLM) for enhanced soft electronic applications.
- To investigate the conductivity, stretchability, and strain-invariant properties of MLM/TPU composites.
- To explore applications in tunable heating, infrared stealth, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
Main Methods:
- Coaxial wet-spinning of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) sheath-core fibers with a magnetic LM (Fe-EGaIn) core.
- Weaving MLM/TPU fibers into interlaced textiles.
- Post-freeze-pressure activation to form percolating conductive networks.
Main Results:
- Achieved exceptional conductivity (3.9 × 10⁴ S m⁻¹) and extreme stretchability (482% elongation).
- Demonstrated strain-invariant resistance (-6% at 100% strain).
- Exhibited tunable Joule heating (up to 75.8 °C), infrared stealth, and significant EMI shielding (33.82 dB).
Conclusions:
- The developed MLM/TPU composite fibers offer a promising platform for high-performance soft electronics.
- These materials enable magnetically responsive, reconfigurable conductors with diverse functionalities.
- Potential applications include wearable electronics, soft robotics, and advanced EMI-shielding textiles.
Keywords:
Electromagnetic interference shieldingFlexible conductive fiberJoule heatingMagnetic liquid metalMore Related Videos
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