Broadband electromagnetic wave absorption using pure carbon aerogel by synergistically modulating propagation path and carbonization degree

Xiaogang Su; Jun Wang; Mengjie Han; Yanan Liu; Bin Zhang; Siqi Huo; Qilei Wu; Yaqing Liu; He-Xiu Xu

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.113

Broadband electromagnetic wave absorption using pure carbon aerogel by synergistically modulating propagation path and carbonization degree

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2023 Dec 15;652(Pt A):780-788. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.113. Epub 2023 Aug 19.

Authors

Xiaogang Su¹, Jun Wang², Mengjie Han², Yanan Liu², Bin Zhang³, Siqi Huo⁴, Qilei Wu⁵, Yaqing Liu⁶, He-Xiu Xu⁷

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Functional Nanocomposites of Shanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China; Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi'an 710051, China. Electronic address: sxgwhut@163.com.
² Key Laboratory of Functional Nanocomposites of Shanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China.
³ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430200, China.
⁴ Center for Future Materials, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield 4300, Australia.
⁵ Science and Technology on Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory, China Ship Development and Design Centre, Wuhan 430070, China.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Functional Nanocomposites of Shanxi Province, School of Materials Science and Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China. Electronic address: lyq@nuc.edu.cn.
⁷ Air and Missile Defense College, Air Force Engineering University, Xi'an 710051, China. Electronic address: hxxuellen@gmail.com.

PMID: 37619257
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2023.08.113

Abstract

Carbon materials were widely used as electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption due to their advantages of light weight, environmental resistance and high electrical conductivity. However, conventional means were typically available by combining carbon and other materials to achieve effective absorption. Herein, a novel strategy using pure carbon aerogel with oriented structure was reported to enhance the EM wave absorption by synergistically modulating the wave propagation path and carbonization degree. The aerogel contained proposed modified carbon nanofibers (MCNF) derived from bacterial cellulose (BC), and core-shell carbon nanofibers @ reduced oxide graphene (CNF@RGO). The oriented structure was induced by the temperature field, which manifests anisotropic EM constitutive parameters (ε_x ≠ ε_z) at different directions of incident wave. The carbonization degree was adjusted by varying the carbonization temperature. At the carbonization temperature of 700 °C, the maximum reflection loss and effective absorption bandwidth reached -53.94 dB and 7.14 GHz, respectively, enabling the aerogel to outperform its previous counterparts. To clarify the EM wave mode-of-action in conjunction, physical models of the aerogel were established in addition to finite element simulation and theoretical analysis. Notably, the aerogel with a density of 3.6 mg/cm³ featured ultra-light weight, superhydrophobicity, superior compressibility, and thermal insulation. Our work offers an efficient strategy for designing broadband and multifunctional EM wave absorption materials (EWAMs), promising great potentials in complex stealth equipment.

Keywords: Carbon aerogel; Carbonization degree; Electromagnetic wave absorption; Oriented structures; Propagation path.