writer：Zhen Zhang#*, Wang Sun#, Hui Peng, Liangyong Chu, Yingzhan Li*, Mingguo Ma*, Guofu Zhou.
keywords：Cellulose nanocrystal; Liquid metal; Pickering emulsion; conductive polymer composite, photothermal
source：期刊
specific source：Composites Part B: Engineering 2026, 325, 113953
Issue time：2026年

Liquid metals (LMs) are promising conductive fillers for flexible conductive polymer composites (CPCs) owing to their intrinsic electrical conductivity and liquid deformability. However, achieving LM based CPC with simultaneous mechanical robustness, electrical conductivity, and photothermal performance remains challenging due to LM aggregation, mechanical defects, and the trade-off between conductivity and photothermal activity. Herein, we propose a facile one-step casting to construct multifunctional CPCs with a three-layers-in-one unibody architecture using cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-stabilized LM Pickering emulsions (PEs). Driven by gravity-assisted self-assembly during film formation, CNC stabilized LM PE droplets with a broad size distribution are sedimented at varied speed within waterborne polyurethane (WPU), generating continuous gradient distribution with hierarchical structure consisting of a mechanically robust top WPU layer, a photothermal middle layer containing isolated LM nanoparticles, and a conductive bottom layer with stretch-activated LM pathways. The resulting composites exhibit excellent mechanical properties (strength of 25.1 MPa and elongation of 566%), high electrical conductivity (300 S/m), efficient photothermal conversion, and stable Joule heating performance under low voltage. The integrated unibody structure eliminates interlayer delamination while enabling synergistic multifunctionality. This work provides a simple and scalable strategy for designing LM-based multifunctional CPCs for flexible electronics, wearable sensors, and thermal therapy applications.