Interface Engineering Assisted 3D Printing of Silicone Composites with Synergistically Optimized Impact Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness

Silicone composites have been universally employed in smart devices, flexible electronics, and mechanical metamaterials. However, it remained challenging to develop 3D printable silicone composites with desirable mechanical and electrical properties. Here, an interface engineering strategy is reported, developing heterointerfacial silver-coated hollow glass microspheres (SHGMs), which are integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for 3D printing of impact-resistant, highly conductive, and mechanically robust SHGMs-PDMS (SHP) composites. SHP simultaneously achieves high compression modulus (12.65 MPa), substantial energy dissipation density (1.58 × 10<sup>6</sup> N m<sup>-2</sup> at 50% strain), excellent conductivity (2.55 × 10<sup>3</sup> S m<sup>-1</sup>), and long-period robustness. SHP presents extraordinary impact resistance under dynamic impacts, reaching a considerable energy dissipation of 1.91 kJ m<sup>-1</sup> at an incident velocity of 192.3 m s<sup>-1</sup>. More importantly, SHP with 2 mm in thickness achieves an ultraefficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) effectiveness of 92.5 dB, which is among that of state-of-the-art silicone and its derivatives, and can maintain favorable shielding efficiency (>70 dB) after undergoing mechanical excitations. Moreover, the formability enables it to fabricate delicate structures with a negative Poisson's ratio, ensuring adaptive fit and thus providing complete protection for individuals. This work paves an effective way to rapidly manufacture silicone composites with expected functions for new-generation protective devices.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Small
Published
2025-04-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202500323
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Electromagnetic wave absorption materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.85

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Interface Engineering Assisted 3D Printing of Silicone Composites with Synergistically Optimized Impact Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness

Xinglong Gong, Shuai Liu, Sheng Wang, Shilong Duan et al.
2 citations
Small
Electromagnetic wave absorption materials
0.85
article

Interface Engineering Assisted 3D Printing of Silicone Composites with Synergistically Optimized Impact Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness

Xinglong Gong, Shuai Liu, Sheng Wang, Shilong Duan, Jiajun Yu, Peng Wang, Min Sang, Zimu Li
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Silicone composites have been universally employed in smart devices, flexible electronics, and mechanical metamaterials. However, it remained challenging to develop 3D printable silicone composites with desirable mechanical and electrical properties. Here, an interface engineering strategy is reported, developing heterointerfacial silver-coated hollow glass microspheres (SHGMs), which are integrated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for 3D printing of impact-resistant, highly conductive, and mechanically robust SHGMs-PDMS (SHP) composites. SHP simultaneously achieves high compression modulus (12.65 MPa), substantial energy dissipation density (1.58 × 10<sup>6</sup> N m<sup>-2</sup> at 50% strain), excellent conductivity (2.55 × 10<sup>3</sup> S m<sup>-1</sup>), and long-period robustness. SHP presents extraordinary impact resistance under dynamic impacts, reaching a considerable energy dissipation of 1.91 kJ m<sup>-1</sup> at an incident velocity of 192.3 m s<sup>-1</sup>. More importantly, SHP with 2 mm in thickness achieves an ultraefficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) effectiveness of 92.5 dB, which is among that of state-of-the-art silicone and its derivatives, and can maintain favorable shielding efficiency (>70 dB) after undergoing mechanical excitations. Moreover, the formability enables it to fabricate delicate structures with a negative Poisson's ratio, ensuring adaptive fit and thus providing complete protection for individuals. This work paves an effective way to rapidly manufacture silicone composites with expected functions for new-generation protective devices.

SmallVol. 21(23)
University of Science and Technology of China (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, University of Science and Technology of China
Affordable and clean energy
Openalex Percentile: Top 29%
Electromagnetic wave absorption materials
0.85
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.