Abstract: With the rapid advancements in wearable electronics and wireless communication technologies, conductive hydrogels are emerging as promising candidates for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding in deformable and wearable devices, owing to their excellent mechanical flexibility and fatigue resistance. However, the water evaporation and freezing of hydrogels in low-temperature environments can significantly degrade both their mechanical properties and EMI shielding performance. In this study, a zwitterionic cellulose nanofiber/MXene hydrogel was synthesized by catalyzing a mixture of acrylic acid and betaine with two-dimensional MXene nanosheets at room temperature. The incorporation of a glycerol-water binary solvent and PEDOT:PSS significantly enhanced the hydrogel’s mechanical properties (tensile strength of 0.19 MPa, strain up to 1354 %), anti-freezing capabilities, desiccation resistance, and adhesion properties (up to 27.5 kPa on wood). Additionally, the hydrogel exhibited temperature- and strain-sensitive sensing properties. Remarkably, the zwitterionic hydrogel demonstrated absorption-based EMI shielding performance, which was optimized by adjusting the glycerol-water ratio, achieving a remarkable EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 58.1 dB in the X-band. Well-designed zwitterionic hydrogels can provide an alternative strategy for the design of next-generation deformable flexible sensors and EMI shielding materials, and they offer an efficient and convenient method for preparing MXene composite hydrogels on a macroscopic scale.

Key words: Zwitterionic hydrogels, MXene, Dual-mode sensing, Multifunctional, Electromagnetic shielding