Facile fabrication of stacked rGO/MoS2 reinforced polyurethane composite foam for effective electromagnetic interference shielding

Herein, a unique approach of water vapor-induced phase separation is adopted to prepare a microcellular structure of stacked rGO/MoS2 reinforced TPU foam. Hydrothermally prepared rGO/MoS2 heterostructure prevents the restacking of nanosheets and assists in effective reinforcement in TPU system. The specific shielding performance of different concertation of 2D filler-reinforced composite foams is determined in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) frequency range. The 7 wt% rGO/MoS2/TPU foam having a thickness of 3 mm showed total shielding effectiveness of -32 dB, which is 28 % and 166 % higher than 7 wt% rGO and MoS2 reinforced foams. The electric-dipoles and excellent carrier-hopping caused due to stacked-heterostructure and multiple internal reflections due to the microcellular architecture of foam helped in manifesting the maximum wave attenuation (99.9 %) and leads to an outstanding synergistic absorption effect (92 % of SET). Additionally, it improved the thermomechanical and tensile properties of composite foams over rGO and MoS2 reinforced foams, and make them viable for practical applications.

Automated summary

In this study, a unique method of water vapor-induced phase separation is used to prepare a microcellular stucture of stacked rGO/MoS2 reinforced TPU foam. The hydrothermally prepared rGO/MoS2 heterostructure prevents restacking and effectively reinforces the TPU system. The foam shows enhanced shielding performance, excellent wave attenuation, and outstanding absorption effect, as well as improved thermomechanical and tensile properties, making it suitable for practical applications.