Microstructure, mechanical and electromagnetic interference shielding properties of free-standing Ti3C2Tx-PVA films

In this work, ultrathin, strong, and highly flexible Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene-PVA (Polyvinyl alcohol) composite films with varying Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene contents of 20, 40, 60, and 80 wt% were prepared via a solution casting method to evaluate their mechanical and electromagnetic interference shielding properties. The Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene-PVA composite films showed optimal mechanical properties with a Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene content of 60 wt%. At this composition, it achieved high tensile strength of 56.0 MPa, high fracture strain of 2.2%, and high Young’s modulus of 6.7 GPa. Additionally, the electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency was improved with increasing Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene content. At the loading of 80 wt% Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene, the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness reached the highest value of 34.80 dB.