SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3539-5
MXene-based layered films are promising for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, yet achieving highly ordered structures in scalable production remains challenging. Here, we report a facile centrifugal casting method for fabricating MXene/polyvinyl alcohol (MXene/PVA) films with highly oriented and compact layered structures. During centrifugal casting, the viscous fluid experiences strong shear and centrifugal forces along tangential and normal directions, respectively, inducing compact and oriented arrangement of MXene nanosheets. Consequently, the Herman's orientation factor increases from 0.681 to 0.794 as rotation rate rises from 0 to 4000 r/min. Accordingly, tensile strength and toughness improve from 55.2 to 191.1 MPa and from ~0.8 to 2.5 MJ/m³, respectively. The highly oriented and compact layered structure with ultrathin thickness (~8 μm) enables a high absolute electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SSE/t) of 21029 dB cm²/g. Moreover, increased orientation reduces infrared emissivity to 0.248, endowing the film with excellent thermal camouflage capability. This work presents an effective strategy for constructing high-performance MXene-based layered films.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-026-4124-x
Aerogel fibers, featuring distinct porous architecture and fiber flexibility, have emerged as leading materials for personal thermal protection; however, complex drying processes and singular thermal insulation mechanisms limit their use in complex environments. Here, aramid nanofiber/carbon nanotube (ANF/CNT) aerogel fibers integrating passive thermal insulation and active solar heating were fabricated via wet-spinning and ambient-pressure drying (APD). The incorporation of CNT and Ca2+ generates abundant physical and chemical crosslinking points, strengthening the nanofiber network skeleton and reducing structural collapse during APD to only 8.9% shrinkage. The resulting ANF/CNT aerogel textiles exhibit low thermal conductivity of 33.8–40.4 mW/(m K) and thermal insulation capability from −196 to 400 °C. The photothermal effect of CNT enables active solar heating, effectively supplementing passive insulation and allowing survival in extremely cold environments. In real tests, the synergistic effect improved skin temperature by up to 5.9 °C, significantly higher than 1.6 °C from passive insulation alone. These ANF/CNT aerogel fibers combine flexibility, mechanical strength, and flame retardancy, demonstrating promising potential for smart, controllable personal thermal management applications.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3379-7
Aerogel fibers are promising for personal thermal management textiles, but conventional wet-spun fibers suffer from a dense skin layer that compromises the balance between thermal insulation and mechanical robustness. This highlight examines a microfluidic spinning strategy that constructs gradient all-nanostructure aramid aerogel fibers (GAFs). By employing DMSO as a sheath fluid, the process induces a hydrodynamic concentration gradient, protonation-driven sol-gel transition, and supercritical drying-mediated structural inversion, yielding a porous gradient architecture distinct from traditional skin-core aerogel fibers (SAFs). Raman mapping of the aramid I band (1610 cm⁻¹) confirms the structural difference. The GAFs exhibit optimized thermal resistance and mechanical performance, addressing the trade-off that limits conventional aerogel fibers. The referenced work (Nat Commun, 2025, 16: 2357) demonstrates a viable route to high-performance aerogel fibers for next-generation thermal management, with potential for scalable manufacturing and enhanced energy efficiency in textiles.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3578-5
MXene-based multilayered composite films are promising for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, yet the trade-off between mechanical robustness, oxidation resistance, and shielding effectiveness remains unresolved. This study fabricates alternating multilayered MXene/carbon nanotube (CNT) films via alternating vacuum-assisted filtration, inspired by millefeuille architecture. The CNT layers serve as mechanical frame and oxidation barrier while synergistically enhancing EMI shielding through an absorption-reflection-reabsorption mechanism. The optimized 36-μm-thick film achieves an EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 81.4 dB across 8.2–26.5 GHz, with tensile strength of 83.4 MPa and toughness of 7.20 MJ/m³. The CNT layers isolate MXene from oxygen, imparting fire/oxidation resistance in complex environments. The film also exhibits Joule heating capability, reaching 237 °C within 10 s at 2.0 V. This alternating multilayered architecture overcomes the performance balance limit, offering a viable route for EMI shielding materials in harsh conditions.