Gallium-infused carbon fiber/EVA multilayer composites with sensing, self-healing, and electromagnetic attenuation capabilities

In this study, a multilayer flexible composite membrane (EVA/Ga@CF) was developed by constructing a stable liquid metal conductive network on continuous carbon fiber fabrics. Mechanical testing revealed that EVA/Ga@CF achieved a tensile strength of 2.1 GPa and a Young's modulus of 12.6 GPa, confirming the critical role of liquid gallium in interfacial bridging and stress transfer. Self-healing evaluation showed that the water contact angle at scratched regions returned to its initial value within 120 s subjected to electrical stimulation. Electromagnetic performance tests indicated that EVA/Ga@CF maintained a total shielding effectiveness (SE-T) of approximately 35 dB across the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz), achieving superior efficiency in both thickness-normalized and metal content-normalized metrics. Furthermore, the introduction of the continuous liquid gallium network significantly enhanced dielectric polarization and electromagnetic wave attenuation capabilities. Overall, this work proposes a new strategy for co-engineering liquid metals and high-strength carbon fiber frameworks, highlighting their potential for applications in high-performance flexible electronics and robotic exoskeleton systems.