Engineering asymmetric multifunctional phase change composites for improved electromagnetic interference shielding and wireless personal thermal therapy

Composites with long-term stability, safety, and comfort are desired as portable equipment continues to advance quickly. However, it is challenging to achieve stability, safety, and comfort in a single composite with respect to electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, thermal management, and antibacterial performances. In this study, we developed a series of layered asymmetric multifunctional PCCs with MXene layers and phase change layers. The asymmetric structure could adjust the EMI shielding efficiency as high as 54.5 dB, and improve light-to-thermal/magnetic-to-thermal conversion to assist PCCs in maintaining a considerable temperature. As the MXene@PDA with improved structural/chemical stability was proven to exhibit high antibacterial activity at higher temperatures, the PCCs appear to have great potential in antibacterial applications. Overall, our work provides new insights into the fabrication of advanced composites through asymmetric design, and the obtained PCCs display significant application potential in EMI shielding and wireless personal thermal therapy.