J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2026, Vol. 251: 1-10.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2025.06.036

• Research Article •     Next Articles

Magnetic graphene composite aerogel for highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and anti-corrosion

Yinglai Houa, Ziyu Liua, Qian Wanga, Zhen Yua,b, Ruizhe Xinga,*, Zhilong Yua, Yusheng Tanga, Jie Konga,*   

  1. aShaanxi Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China;
    bNingbo Institute of Northwestern Polytechnical University, Ningbo 315103, China
  • Received:2025-05-15 Revised:2025-06-22 Accepted:2025-06-22 Published:2026-04-20 Online:2025-07-19
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: rzxing@nwpu.edu.cn (R. Xing), kongjie@nwpu.edu.cn (J. Kong).

Abstract: Electromagnetic wave absorption materials inevitably encounter corrosive conditions during service, making corrosion-resistant design essential for their practical deployment. Herein, magnetic graphene composite aerogel (reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/ porous hollow Ni/C microspheres (PHNiC)) is fabricated via self-assembly of PHNiC and graphene oxide, followed by chemical reduction and freeze-drying. The rGO/PHNiC aerogel demonstrates excellent impedance matching and electromagnetic attenuation, achieving a minimum reflection loss of -51.3 dB at a thickness of 2.5 mm and a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 6.64 GHz. In addition, the conformal encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles with rGO establishes a corrosion-mitigating barrier through interfacial passivation, effectively suppressing electrolyte penetration and anodic dissolution. Consequently, the rGO/PHNiC aerogel exhibits significantly improved corrosion resistance, with a corrosion potential of -0.45 V vs. saturated calomel electrode and a corrosion current density of 3.3 µA, demonstrating over 90 % reduction in corrosion rate compared to uncoated counterparts. This study provides valuable insights for the design of microwave absorbing materials that function in complex environments.

Key words: Electromagnetic wave absorption, Magnetic graphene aerogel, Anti-corrosive microwave absorption, Broad bandwidth microwave absorption, Dielectric-magnetic synergy