Ultralight, Conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Aerogels for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Dominated by the Absorption Mechanism

MXene aerogels with a porous microstructure are a promising electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material due to its low density and excellent electrical conductivity, which has attracted widespread attention. Compared with traditional EMI shielding materials that rely on reflection as the primary mechanism, MXene aerogels with absorption as the dominant mechanism have greater potential for development as a novel EMI shielding material because of its ability to reduce environmental contamination from reflected electromagnetic (EM) waves from materials. In this study, a novel Ti3C2Tx MXene/PEDOT:PSS hybrid aerogel was presented by freeze-drying and thermal annealing using few-layered Ti3C2Tx MXene and the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). PEDOT:PSS not only improved the gelling ability of Ti3C2Tx but also successfully established a conductive bridge between MXene nanosheets. The experimental results demonstrated that the hybrid aerogel exhibited an obvious porous microstructure, which was beneficial for the multiple scattering of EM waves within the materials. The EMI shielding effectiveness and specific shielding effectiveness reached up to 59 dB and 10,841 dB.cm(2).g(-1), respectively, while the SER/SET ratio value was only 0.05, indicating superior wave absorption performance. Furthermore, the good impedance matching, due to the electrical conductance loss and polarization loss effect of the composites, plays a critical role in their excellent wave absorption and EMI shielding performance. Therefore, this work provides a practical approach for designing and fabricating lightweight absorption-dominated EMI shielding materials.

Automated summary

MXene aerogels with a porous microstructure show promise as electromagnetic interference shielding materials due to their low density and excellent electrical conductivity. The hybrid aerogel presented in this study achieved high EMI shielding effectiveness and specific shielding effectiveness, with a superior wave absorption performance. Good impedance matching, attributed to the electrical conductance loss and polarization loss effect of the composites, played a critical role in their excellent wave absorption and EMI shielding performance.