Multifunctional wearable Spider-Silk Inspired fabric for personal protection in extreme environments

Abstract

Personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a vital role in healthcare, industry, and military settings, offering essential protection against various environmental hazards. However, the growing environmental challenges and demand for multifunctional integration make developing PPE that outperforms traditional single-function equipment a significant challenge. Herein, we present a flexible and wearable sandwich-structured film, fabricated by integrating an MXene core layer with Gd(OH)3/TPU outer layers through electrospinning and vacuum filtration process, simultaneously offering neutron and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, energy harvesting, and thermal management. Mimicking spider silk's crystalline and amorphous regions, the outer layers integrate Gd(OH)3 nanorods into TPU nanofibers, thereby enhancing hydrogen bonding and achieving a high tensile strength of 22.94 MPa. Extensive hydrogen-bonding interactions firmly bind the MXene conductive core layer to the gadolinium-rich magnetic outer layers, providing excellent neutron (μ = 22.95 cm−1) and EMI shielding (SE = 35.1 dB). Additionally, the film also functions as a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), capturing kinetic energy to power low-voltage electronic devices, reducing reliance on external power in harsh settings. Remarkably, its superior Joule heating capability rapidly reaches various temperature (up to 78.5 ℃) by regulating external voltage to meet diverse user requirements. This study paves the way for future advancements in the realm of multifunctional PPE.