RESEARCH ARTICLE

Polypyrrole-modified PVDF-HFP coaxial electrospun composite membranes for intelligent thermal management and electromagnetic interference shielding

¹ Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry for Energy Conversion and Storage, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430074, China
² Hubei Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials and Medical Protective Materials, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
³ Hubei Key Laboratory of Material Chemistry and Service Failure, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
⁴ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117575, Singapore

^* Corresponding authors (emails: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Xinpeng Hu); This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Xiang Lu))

Received: 1 October 2025
Revised: 25 November 2025
Accepted: 3 December 2025

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of extreme environments and the growing severity of electromagnetic pollution make it urgent to develop composites that combine dynamic thermal management with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding capabilities. However, it is challenging to integrate all these performances into a single device through a straightforward method. This study reports a novel composite membrane that combines outstanding thermal management capabilities and EMI shielding performance. The fibre membrane, with a distinct core-shell structure, maintains a thermal storage capacity (82.84 J/g) and anti-leakage properties. The in-situ polymerised polypyrrole (PPy) endows it with active thermal management capabilities, including Joule heating and solar-to-thermal conversion properties. A satisfactory EMI shielding performance was also achieved, and the shielding effectiveness can be enhanced through a simple origami technique. Moreover, the composite exhibits desirable thermal stability and cycle reliability. In brief, this multifunctional composite film demonstrates significant application potential in wearable textiles for thermal management and EMI shielding.