An optical transparent and hazy film with admirable flexibility,
electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and Joule heating performance
meeting the requirements of optoelectronic devices is significantly
desirable. Herein, a cellulose paper was infiltrated by epoxy resin
to fabricate a transparent cellulose paper (TCP) with high transparency,
optical haze, and favorable flexibility, owing to effective light
scattering and mechanical enhancement of the cellulose network. Moreover,
a highly connected silver nanowire (AgNW) network was constructed
on the TCP substrate by the spray-coating method and appropriate thermal
annealing technique to realize high electrical conductivity and favorable
optical transmittance of the composite film at the same time, followed
by coating of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer for protection of
the AgNW network. The obtained PDMS/AgNWs/TCP composite film features
considerable optical transmittance (up to 86.8%) and haze (up to 97.7%),
while satisfactory EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) (up to 39.1 dB,
8.2–12.4 GHz) as well as strong mechanical strength (higher
than 41 MPa) were achieved. The coated PDMS layer prevented the AgNW
network from falling off and ensured the long-term stability of the
PDMS/AgNWs/TCP composite film under deformations. In addition, the
multifunctional PDMS/AgNWs/TCP composite film also exhibited excellent
Joule heating performance with low supplied voltages, rapid response,
and sufficient stability. This work demonstrates a novel pathway to
improve the performance of multifunctional transparent composite films
for future advanced optoelectronic devices.