Ultralight and rigid PBO nanofiber aerogel with superior electromagnetic wave absorption properties

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2024.08.018

Abstract

Abstract: Polymer-based aerogels are emerging as promising candidates for lightweight and high performance electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption materials. In this study, an ultralight and rigid poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) nanofiber (PNF) based composite aerogel with excellent EM wave absorption performance was fabricated with cobalt-nickel alloy (CoNi) nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as magnetic and conductive fillers, respectively. A CNT/PNF composite aerogel was first prepared through a sol-gel and freeze-drying method, and then CoNi nanoparticles were introduced therein through hydrothermal reaction and thermal annealing to obtain the CoNi/CNT/PNF aerogel. CNTs and PNFs were interwoven and constructed a three-dimensional conductive/magnetic cage-like skeleton structure decorating with magnetic CoNi nanoparticles. The cage-like skeleton structure allowed the dissipation of EM waves through multiple mechanisms encompassing conduction loss, magnetic loss, multiple reflection, scattering, and absorption. When its thickness was 4 mm, the CoNi/CNT/PNF aerogel showed a minimal reflection loss of -44.7 dB (at 6.88 GHz), and its broad effective absorption bandwidth covered the entire X-band and Ku-band and most of the C-band (12.32 GHz, from 5.68 GHz to 18 GHz). In addition, the rigid aerogel exhibited an ultralow density (0.107 g/cm³), excellent thermal insulation, and flame retardancy, demonstrating its potential application as a high-performance EM wave absorption material in the fields of aerospace and national defense.

Key words: EM wave absorption, PBO nanofiber aerogel, Electromagnetic synergy, Cage-like skeleton

Yanmeng Peng, Kaijie Gong, An Liu, Han Yan, Hua Guo, Jin Wang, Xiaoli Guo, Xiaonan Yang, Shuhua Qi, Hua Qiu. Ultralight and rigid PBO nanofiber aerogel with superior electromagnetic wave absorption properties[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2025, 211: 320-329.

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