Solid
matrix-supported liquid metal nanoparticles have been drawing
attention as a nanoadditive in the fabrication of electroconductive
flexible and soft materials. The present work reports a facile, green,
and sonochemical synthesis approach of gallium (Ga) nanoparticles
embedded in reduced graphene oxide (RGO) under ambient conditions
for the first time. The as-synthesized ultrasonic energy-irradiated
RGO/Ga nanocomposite was studied using SEM, TEM, DSC, XRD, XPS, and
solid-state NMR. Because of their electrical conductivity, RGO/Ga
nanoparticles have been used as a conducting inclusion for a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate)
(PEDOT:PSS) matrix and coated on cotton fabrics to develop a smart
e-textile for electromagnetic (EM) radiation-shielding application.
In the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) frequency range, the nanocomposites’
EM interference-shielding efficiency was about 34 dB. Moreover, because
of the liquid metal–graphene interfaces; the fabricated materials
were excellent heat conductors reporting ∼44% increment in
thermal conductivity compared to a bare fabric. The coated cotton
textile’s durability was tested under various conditions. The
hard phase of the RGO/Ga nanoparticles is disseminated throughout
the fabric, while the polymeric soft phase, that is, PEDOT:PSS macrochains,
tended to interlink among the dispersed phases to construct a large
spatial conducting network. Therefore, such a lightweight, flexible,
and conductive e-fabric could be used not only for mitigating EM pollution
but also as an alternative to commercial metallic EM wave absorbers
in telecommunication, aerospace, and next-generation flexible electronics
areas.