Asymmetrically Architectured MXene/WPU Composite Coatings for Synergistic Optimization of All-Day Anti/De-icing and Absorption-Dominated EMI Shielding

The increasing demand for infrastructure and equipment capable of operating reliably under combined cold-humid and electromagnetic extremes has exposed the limitations of conventional coatings, which struggle to simultaneously prevent ice accumulation and mitigate electromagnetic interference (EMI). Here, asymmetrically architectured MXene/WPU composite coatings (AMWC) were developed by immobilizing a photothermal broccoli-like MXene-lean top layer on an electrothermal lamellar MXene-rich base layer, which achieves synergistic optimization of all-day anti/de-icing and absorption-dominated EMI shielding. The AMWC exhibits excellent surface superhydrophobicity (water contact angle ∼ 162°, sliding angle ∼ 5°) with mechanochemical robustness. Benefiting from the modulable photo-electrothermal cooperative mode, a surface equilibrium temperature of 99.3 °C is attained within 10 min. Even at -30 °C, highly efficient de-icing is achieved within only 228 s under an ultralow power density of 0.21 W/cm2, with energy consumption reduced by 67.9% compared to the standalone electrothermal mode. Moreover, the AMWC delivers a total EMI shielding effectiveness (SET) of 33.0 dB with an absorption coefficient > 0.97 at 0.08 mm in the X-band. This work demonstrates a novel insight that leverages structural asymmetry to program synergistic functionality, offering a promising route toward high-performance protective coatings for harsh-environment applications.