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Ultra-stable graphene aerogels for electromagnetic interference shielding

超稳定石墨烯气凝胶的电磁屏蔽性能研究

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Abstract

Graphene aerogels (GAs) are prevailing to solve electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues in next-generation electronic devices. However, the practical EMI shielding application of lightweight GAs is still a great challenge because of their structural instability when confronted with complex conditions. Here, we report a class of ultra-stable GAs with excellent and reliable EMI shielding performances. The GA (ρ = 3.7 mg cm−3) with face-to-face stacked structure exhibits a high shielding effectiveness (SE) of 64.1 dB at the thickness of 1 mm. The specific EMI SE reaches 173,243 dB cm2 g−1, far beyond the previous carbon-based materials. Meanwhile, the structural stability endows the GAs with outstanding resistance to external stimuli, such as mechanical deformation, extreme temperature, flame and underwater environments. The intrinsic conflict of low density and oversized volume is solved by vacuum bagging without structure and performance loss. Our GAs have paved the way for the practical EMI shielding materials and greatly broadened the applied scenes, such as aerospace, warcraft and ocean fields.

摘要

石墨烯气凝胶(GAs)在解决下一代电子器件电磁屏蔽污染方面引起了广泛关注. 但是, 由于超轻石墨烯气凝胶在复杂环境中结构不稳定, 其在电磁屏蔽的实际应用中仍面临巨大的挑战. 在此, 我们提出一类机械结构稳定的石墨烯气凝胶, 其展示出优异可靠的电磁屏蔽性能. 这类气凝胶呈现出面面堆叠的结构, 在密度ρ = 3.7 mg cm−3, 高度1 mm时, 电磁屏蔽效能可达到64.1 dB, 比电磁屏蔽效能达到173,243 dB cm2 g−1, 远超现有报道的碳基材料. 同时, 石墨烯气凝胶具有优异的环境适应性, 在机械形变、 极端温度、 燃烧及水下等环境中均可保持性能稳定. 此外, 制备的石墨烯气凝胶可通过真空袋装工艺进行包装运输, 解决了超轻材料实际应用中低密度与大体积的矛盾, 且在这一极端变形过程中材料结构和性能均未产生破坏. 该研究为石墨烯气凝胶电磁屏蔽材料的实际应用铺平了道路, 且拓展了其实际应用场景, 比如航天、军事战机及海洋领域.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, the International Research Center for X Polymers, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51973191, 52272046 and 52090030), Shanxi-Zheda Institute of New Materials and Chemical Engineering (2011SZ-FR004 and 2022SZ-TD011), the Hundred Talents Program of Zhejiang University (188020*194231701/113), Fujian Provincial Science and Technology Major Projects (2018HZ0001-2), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (K20200060 and 2021FZZX001-17), the Key Laboratory of Novel Adsorption and Separation Materials and Application Technology of Zhejiang Province (512301-I21502), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2021M702788), the Postdoctoral Research Program of Zhejiang Province (ZJ2021145), and the Devices of the Ministry of Education NJ2020003 (INMD-2021M06).

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Enhui Zhu  (朱恩惠), Kai Pang  (庞凯), Yanru Chen  (陈彦儒), Senping Liu  (刘森坪), Xiaoting Liu  (刘晓婷), Zhen Xu  (许震), Yingjun Liu  (刘英军) & Chao Gao  (高超)

  2. Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan, 030032, China

    Yingjun Liu  (刘英军)

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  1. Enhui Zhu  (朱恩惠)
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Contributions

Author contributions Pang K, Liu X, Liu Y and Gao C conceived the research. Pang K and Zhu E designed the experiments and analyzed the data. Zhu E, Chen Y and Liu S did the materials characterization and the electromagnetic shielding tests. Zhu E and Liu X wrote the manuscript and all authors provided feedback.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Kai Pang  (庞凯), Xiaoting Liu  (刘晓婷), Yingjun Liu  (刘英军) or Chao Gao  (高超).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary information Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Enhui Zhu is currently a master candidate at the Department of Polymer Science and Engineer, Zhejiang University. His current research focuses on electromagnetic shielding applications of graphene materials.

Kai Pang received his PhD degree from Zhejiang University in 2021. He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Zhejiang University. His research interests include graphene macroscopic assemblies and flexible electronics.

Xiaoting Liu received her PhD degree from Zhejiang University in 2020. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at Zhejiang University. Her research interests include the preparation and application of graphene composites.

Yingjun Liu received his PhD degree from Zhejiang University in 2017. He is currently an assistant research fellow at Zhejiang University. His research interests include high-performance graphene fibers and films.

Chao Gao obtained his PhD degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in 2001. He was appointed as an associate professor at SJTU in 2002. He did postdoctoral research at the University of Sussex with Prof. Sir Harry W. Kroto and AvH research at Bayreuth University with Prof. Axel H. E. Müller during 2003–2006. He joined the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University in 2008 and was promoted as a full professor. His research interests focus on graphene chemistry, macroscopic assembly, and energy storage.

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Zhu, E., Pang, K., Chen, Y. et al. Ultra-stable graphene aerogels for electromagnetic interference shielding. Sci. China Mater. 66, 1106–1113 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2208-x

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