Issue

Vol. 18 (2026)

Textile-Scale Liquid–Metal Fibers with Strain-Invariant Conductivity Enable Absorption-Enhanced EMI Shielding

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02131-w
Ruosong Li
School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, People’s Republic of China
Ruyi Tao
School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, People’s Republic of China
Youpeng Huangfu
State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, People’s Republic of China
Zhongyi Bai
Henan Key Laboratory of Aeronautical Materials and Application Technology, School of Mechatronics Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Processing and Detecting for Aerospace High Performance Materials, Zhengzhou University of Aeronautics, Zhengzhou 450046, People’s Republic of China
Liping Wei
School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, People’s Republic of China
Yuan Yan
School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, People’s Republic of China
Rui Zhang
Institute of Advanced Ceramics, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450046, People’s Republic of China
Daidi Fan
School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710127, People’s Republic of China
Biao Zhao
Institute of Advanced Ceramics, Henan Academy of Sciences, Zhengzhou 450046, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Biao Zhao

zhao_biao@fudan.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 281

Abstract

Conventional conductive elastomeric composites, consisting of conductive fillers dispersed in elastomers, are widely used in soft electronics for strain sensing via resistance changes arising from filler separation during elongation. However, they often exhibit substantial performance degradation under large strains. Liquid metals (LMs) have recently attracted significant attention owing to their unique fusion of metallic conductivity and fluidic properties. Here, we develop sheath–core fibers featuring a magnetic LM (MLM) core, formed by embedding Fe particles into eutectic gallium–indium alloy (EGaIn) dispersed in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and coaxially wet-spun with an insulating TPU sheath. Subsequently, these MLM/TPU fibers are woven into horizontally and vertically interlaced textiles. This wet-spinning process, coupled with post-freeze-pressure activation, fuses Fe-EGaIn droplets into percolating networks, yielding exceptional conductivity (3.9 × 104 S m−1), extreme stretchability (482% elongation), and strain-invariant resistance ( − 6% at 100% strain). Particularly at 7 wt% Fe, the MLM/TPU composite serves as a magnetically responsive, reconfigurable conductor that enables tunable Joule heating (reaching 75.8 °C at 1.2 V), infrared stealth, and magnetically driven remote switching, while promoting absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding (33.82 dB with an absorptivity of 0.520). This study offers substantial promise for applications in wearable electronics, soft robotics, and EMI-shielding textiles.


Highlights:
1 A Fe-EGaIn/TPU core–sheath fiber is fabricated by coaxial wet spinning, enabling high stretchability together with Joule heating, infrared stealth, strain-invariant conductivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.
2 The fiber exhibits strain-invariant conductivity, showing only a -6% resistance change at 100% strain; COMSOL simulations corroborate the tensile-loading mechanism underpinning this behavior.
3 A Fe-EGaIn/TPU textile woven from orthogonally interlaced horizontal and vertical fibers delivers absorption-dominated EMI shielding with only 7 wt% Fe.

Keywords

Magnetic liquid metal Flexible conductive fiber Electromagnetic interference shielding Joule heating
Li, Ruosong, Ruyi Tao, Youpeng Huangfu, Zhongyi Bai, Liping Wei, Yuan Yan, Rui Zhang, Daidi Fan, and Biao Zhao. 2026. “Textile-Scale Liquid–Metal Fibers With Strain-Invariant Conductivity Enable Absorption-Enhanced EMI Shielding”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (March):281. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02131-w.
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. L. Zheng, M. Zhu, B. Wu, Z. Li, S. Sun et al., Conductance-stable liquid metal sheath-core microfibers for stretchy smart fabrics and self-powered sensing. Sci. Adv. 7(22), eabg4041 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abg4041
  2. X. Song, J. Ji, N. Zhou, M. Chen, R. Qu et al., Stretchable conductive fibers: design, properties and applications. Prog. Mater. Sci. 144, 101288 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmatsci.2024.101288
  3. N. Matsuhisa, M. Kaltenbrunner, T. Yokota, H. Jinno, K. Kuribara et al., Printable elastic conductors with a high conductivity for electronic textile applications. Nat. Commun. 6, 7461 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8461
  4. S. Stankovich, D.A. Dikin, G.H.B. Dommett, K.M. Kohlhaas, E.J. Zimney et al., Graphene-based composite materials. Nature 442(7100), 282–286 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04969
  5. J. Yang, J. Cao, J. Han, Y. Xiong, L. Luo et al., Stretchable multifunctional self-powered systems with Cu-EGaIn liquid metal electrodes. Nano Energy 101, 107582 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2022.107582
  6. H. Wang, R. Li, Y. Cao, S. Chen, B. Yuan et al., Liquid metal fibers. Adv. Fiber Mater. 4(5), 987–1004 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-022-00173-4
  7. Z. Zhao, S. Soni, T. Lee, C.A. Nijhuis, D. Xiang, Smart eutectic gallium-indium: from properties to applications. Adv. Mater. 35(1), e2203391 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202203391
  8. Y. Sun, D. Liu, F. Zhang, X. Gao, J. Xue et al., Multiscale biomimetic evaporators based on liquid metal/polyacrylonitrile composite fibers for highly efficient solar steam generat ion. Nano-Micro Lett. 17(1), 129 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01661-z
  9. E.J. Markvicka, M.D. Bartlett, X. Huang, C. Majidi, An autonomously electrically self-healing liquid metal-elastomer composite for robust soft-matter robotics and electronics. Nat. Mater. 17(7), 618–624 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0084-7
  10. M. Liu, Z. Wang, Z. Song, F. Wang, G. Zhao et al., A popcorn-inspired strategy for compounding graphene@ NiFe2O4 flexible films for strong electromagnetic interference shielding and absorption. Nat. Commun. 15(1), 5486 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49498-1
  11. Q. Zhang, Y. Wu, X. Bao, S. Li, X. Zhuang et al., High-performance, strain-stable electromagnetic shielding materials enabled by magnetic elastic fiber networks pinning liquid metal. Adv. Sci. 12(38), e10078 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202510078
  12. S. Eristoff, A.M. Nasab, X. Huang, R. Kramer-Bottiglio, Liquid metal + x: a review of multiphase composites containing liquid metal and other (x) fillers. Adv. Funct. Mater. 34(31), 2309529 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202309529
  13. Q. Li, L. Liu, M. Lin, X. Guo, L. Guan et al., Highly conductive sheath–core structured liquid metal fibers with invariant resistance under high tensile strength. Appl. Mater. Today 42, 102620 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2025.102620
  14. M. Luo, W. Wei, Q. Guo, W. Zhong, K. Jia et al., A liquid metal-embedded sheath-core fiber with internal helical structure for strain-insensitive electronics. Adv. Sci. 12(39), e09547 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202509547
  15. H. Okamoto, Fe-Ga (iron-gallium). J. Phase Equilib. Diffus. 25(1), 100 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1361/10549710417858
  16. T. Daeneke, K. Khoshmanesh, N. Mahmood, I.A. de Castro, D. Esrafilzadeh et al., Liquid metals: fundamentals and applications in chemistry. Chem. Soc. Rev. 47(11), 4073–4111 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cs00043j
  17. M.D. Dickey, Emerging applications of liquid metals featuring surface oxides. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 6(21), 18369–18379 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1021/am5043017
  18. Y. Lin, C. Cooper, M. Wang, J.J. Adams, J. Genzer et al., Handwritten, soft circuit boards and antennas using liquid metal nanops. Small 11(48), 6397–6403 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201502692
  19. S. Zhao, J. Zhang, L. Fu, Liquid metals: a novel possibility of fabricating 2D metal oxides. Adv. Mater. 33(9), e2005544 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202005544
  20. S. Chen, H.-Z. Wang, R.-Q. Zhao, W. Rao, J. Liu, Liquid metal composites. Matter 2(6), 1446–1480 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2020.03.016
  21. W. Zhang, H. Jin, Y. Guo, Y. Cui, J. Qin et al., A universal approach for thin high-entropy oxides regulated by Ga2O3 layers for oxygen evolution reaction. Nat. Commun. 16(1), 6667 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-60399-9
  22. Q. Gong, Y. Liu, Z. Dang, Core-shell structured Fe3O4@GO@MIL-100(Fe) magnetic nanops as heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst for 2, 4-dichlorophenol degradation under visible light. J. Hazard. Mater. 371, 677–686 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.03.019
  23. L. Ai, W. Lin, C. Cao, P. Li, X. Wang et al., Tough soldering for stretchable electronics by small-molecule modulated interfacial assemblies. Nat. Commun. 14(1), 7723 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43574-8
  24. L. Zhu, B. Wang, S. Handschuh-Wang, X. Zhou, Liquid metal–based soft microfluidics. Small 16(9), 1903841 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201903841
  25. A. Fassler, C. Majidi, Liquid-phase metal inclusions for a conductive polymer comp osite. Adv. Mater. 27(11), 1928–1932 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201405256
  26. Y. Lin, J. Genzer, M.D. Dickey, Attributes, fabrication, and applications of gallium-based liquid metal ps. Adv. Sci. 7(12), 2000192 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202000192
  27. J.W. Boley, E.L. White, R.K. Kramer, Mechanically sintered gallium–indium nanops. Adv. Mater. 27(14), 2355–2360 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201404790
  28. R. Guo, X. Sun, B. Yuan, H. Wang, J. Liu, Magnetic liquid metal (Fe-EGaIn) based multifunctional electronics for remote self-healing materials, degradable electronics, and thermal transfer printing. Adv. Sci. 6(20), 1901478 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.201901478
  29. Y. Kim, J. Zhu, B. Yeom, M. Di Prima, X. Su et al., Stretchable nanop conductors with self-organized conductive pathways. Nature 500(7460), 59–63 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12401
  30. X. He, M. Ni, J. Wu, S. Xuan, X. Gong, Hard-magnetic liquid metal droplets with excellent magnetic field dependent mobility and elasticity. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 92, 60–68 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmst.2021.04.004
  31. X. Li, L. Cao, B. Xiao, F. Li, J. Yang et al., Superelongation of liquid metal. Adv. Sci. 9(11), 2105289 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202105289
  32. Q. Wang, X. Ji, X. Liu, Y. Liu, J. Liang, Viscoelastic metal-in-water emulsion gel via host–guest bridging for printed and strain-activated stretchable electrodes. ACS Nano 16(8), 12677–12685 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c04299
  33. Z. Yu, J. Shang, X. Niu, Y. Liu, G. Liu et al., A composite elastic conductor with high dynamic stability based on 3D-calabash bunch conductive network structure for wearable devices. Adv. Electron. Mater. 4(9), 1800137 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/aelm.201800137
  34. G. Yun, S.-Y. Tang, S. Sun, D. Yuan, Q. Zhao et al., Liquid metal-filled magnetorheological elastomer with positive piezoconductivity. Nat. Commun. 10(1), 1300 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09325-4
  35. M.D. Dickey, Stretchable and soft electronics using liquid metals. Adv. Mater. 29(27), 1606425 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201606425
  36. J. Park, D. Seong, Y.J. Park, S.H. Park, H. Jung et al., Reversible electrical percolation in a stretchable and self-healable silver-gradient nanocomposite bilayer. Nat. Commun. 13, 5233 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32966-x
  37. R. Tutika, A.B.M.T. Haque, M.D. Bartlett, Self-healing liquid metal composite for reconfigurable and recyclable soft electronics. Commun. Mater. 2, 64 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43246-021-00169-4
  38. M. Zhang, X. Chen, Y. Sun, M. Gan, M. Liu et al., A magnetically and thermally controlled liquid metal variable stiffness material. Adv. Eng. Mater. 25(6), 2201296 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202201296
  39. S. Im, E. Frey, D.H. Kim, S.-Y. Heo, Y.M. Song et al., Tunable infrared emissivity using laser-sintered liquid metal nanop films. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35(15), 2422453 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202422453
  40. J. Chen, D. Yi, Y. Ren, X. Zhou, Z.-Y. Qi et al., Porous elastomer film with controlled liquid-metal distribution for recyclable highly customizable and stretchable patterned electronics. Adv. Mater. 37(37), 2505839 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202505839
  41. R. Zhu, Z. Li, G. Deng, Y. Yu, J. Shui et al., Anisotropic magnetic liquid metal film for wearable wireless electromagnetic sensing and smart electromagnetic interference shielding. Nano Energy 92, 106700 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106700
  42. R. Li, Y. Huangfu, L. Liu, J. Hu, D. Zeng et al., Intercalation-induced interlayer and defect engineering in Ti3C2Tx MXene for ultralow-reflection electromagnetic interference shielding. ACS Nano 19(2), 2777–2787 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.4c15343
  43. H. Feng, J. Hong, J. Zhang, P. He, H. Zhou et al., Enhanced polarization via Joule heating in wood-derived carbon materials for absorption-dominated EMI shielding. Mater. Horiz. 11(2), 468–479 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1039/d3mh01332d
  44. A. Iqbal, F. Shahzad, K. Hantanasirisakul, M.-K. Kim, J. Kwon et al., Anomalous absorption of electromagnetic waves by 2D transition metal carbonitride Ti3CNTx (MXene). Science 369(6502), 446–450 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba7977
  45. H. Feng, P. He, J. Deng, H. Wu, Y. Yan et al., Tunable orientation of magnetic chains enables absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35(42), 2503768 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202503768
  46. Q. Du, Q. Men, R. Li, Y. Cheng, B. Zhao et al., Electrostatic adsorption enables layer stacking thickness-dependent hollow Ti3C2Tx MXene bowls for superior electromagnetic wave absorption. Small 18(47), e2203609 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202203609
  47. B. Zhao, R. Li, Q. Men, Z. Yan, H. Lv et al., Transformation of 2D flakes to 3D hollow bowls: Matthew effect enables defects to prevail in electromagnetic wave absorption of hollow rGO bowls. Small 20(3), 2208135 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202208135
  48. J. Liu, V. Nicolosi, Electrically insulating electromagnetic interference shielding materials: a perspective. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35(18), 2407439 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202407439
  49. A.A. Isari, A. Ghaffarkhah, S.A. Hashemi, S. Wuttke, M. Arjmand, Structural design for EMI shielding: from underlying mechanisms to common pitfalls. Adv. Mater. 36(24), 2310683 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202310683
  50. B. Li, T. Xing, M. Zhong, L. Huang, N. Lei et al., A two-dimensional Fe-doped SnS2 magnetic semiconductor. Nat. Commun. 8, 1958 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02077-z
Read More
Author biographies are not available.
Download this PDF file
PDF SUPPLEMENTARY FILE

Most read articles by the same author(s)