Flexible Polypyrrole Nanotube–Polyethylene Glycol–Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels for Enhanced Electromagnetic Shielding

With the development of electronic technology, flexible electromagnetic wave shielding materials have attracted considerable interests in various fields. However, multifunctional electromagnetic wave shielding materials with great flexibility, excellent efficiency, environmental-friendliness, and corrosion resistance are urgently needed to be investigated. Although several works have achieved such frameworks, the extremely complicated fabrication procedure largely restricts their broad application. Accordingly, we deliver a facile strategy to achieve flexible polypyrrole nanotube–polyethylene glycol–polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PPPg) for enhanced electromagnetic shielding behaviors. The shielding effectiveness of the prepared hybrid with a thickness of 2 mm can reach 21 dB from 8 to 12 GHz. Additionally, such a film provides excellent flexibility with an elastic deformation of 100.9% at 2.28 MPa. H-plasma processing further leads to the hydrophobic feature of the PPPg hydrogel, promoting its great corrosion resistance in the natural environment. Our hydrogel is expected to become a promising multifunctional flexible nanocomposite hydrogel for high-performance wearable devices.