The widespread application of 5G technology and the rapid iterative updates of electronic devices have led to increasing electromagnetic pollution, posing a significant threat to national security and human health. Therefore, it is necessary to design and explore ideal electromagnetic absorption (EMA) materials that meet the requirements of thin thickness, light weight, wide absorption bandwidth, and strong reflection loss. Recently, the design and preparation of efficient microwave absorbers mainly focus on the construction of reasonable heterogeneous structures and development of multi-component microwave absorbers. In general, the characteristics of heterogeneous interfaces are controlled by the Maxwell-Wagner effect, with applications ranging from the macroscopic to the nanoscale, thus influencing dielectric and magnetic properties such as band alignment, spatial charge distribution, electron transport, and lattice defects. Rational design of heterogeneous structures can optimize the interfacial area and interfacial effects, while concurrent design of multiple components and structures can achieve efficient interfacial control. Therefore, heterogeneous interface engineering by modulating both impedance matching and energy dissipation has become a hot strategy recently for designing materials with high-efficiency microwave absorption properties.
The team published their review in Nano Research on January 10, 2025.
"In this report, a 3D N-doped carbon fiber/MXene/TiO2 nano-aerogel was prepared through synergistic design from both micro and macro perspectives, achieving efficient construction of multi-component and multi-dimensional structures. The optimized N-CMT 30 % aerogel exhibits a minimum reflection loss of −72.56 dB at a thickness of 2.23 mm, with an effective absorption bandwidth of 6.92 GHz, significantly surpassing most reported MXene-based microwave absorbing materials." said Associate Professor Ying Li from the School of Civil Engineering at Qingdao University of Technology, whose research interests focus on multifunctional materials for electromagnetic.
"From a macroscopic perspective, green and low-cost biomass cotton is utilized as the matrix to provide a three-dimensional skeleton, effectively mitigating the self-stacking issue of MXene. From a microscopic level, multi-component heterogeneous interfaces are constructed by controlling the in-situ generation of TiO2, while polyimide carbonization supplies nitrogen atoms. The lattice defects induced by nitrogen atom doping enhance polarization loss. Through the regulated formation of multi-component constituents, the aerogel achieves high-efficiency microwave absorption." said Ying Li.
"The density of the 3D N-CMT nano-aerogel is only 0.048 g/cm³, exhibiting the advantage of being lightweight. It possesses excellent mechanical robustness and strong thermal stability, with a loss rate of merely 13.7% at 800 °C. Additionally, it has high-efficiency microwave absorption capabilities, making it applicable in areas such as radar stealth and national defense military sectors," said Ying Li.
Other contributors include Chunlei Dong, Sijia Wang, Associate Professor Dongyi Lei, Associate Professor Yifei Cui, Professor Yanru Wang, and Professor Ran Li from the School of Civil Engineering at Qingdao University of Technology, as well as Professor Binbin Yin from City University of Hong Kong.
This work was supported by Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. U22A20244, U23A20673, and 52478261), Qingchuang Technology Project (No. 2021KJ045), Demonstration Project of Benefiting People with Science and Technology of Qingdao, China (No. 24-1-8-cspz-9-nsh), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2024M750580).
About Authors
Ying Li, Associate Professor/Master Supervisor, whose main research directions compose multifunctional materials for electromagnetic protection and functional cementitious composites. As the leader of the "Qingchuang Keji" team in Shandong Province, she has presided over multiple national and provincial projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Shandong Province, and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. Publishing 35 SCI papers in Journal of Materials Science and Technology, Nano Research, and Materials Today Physics as the first or corresponding author. Applying for/being granted 16 patents, editing one industry standard, co-editing industry standards, local standards, and group standards (6 in total), and receiving the First Prize in Scientific and Technological Progress for Building Materials in Liaoning Province. Winning honors such as the First Prize in the National Civil Engineering Materials Teaching Competition, Excellent Instructor in Shandong Province's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, Ronghua Excellent Innovation and Entrepreneurship Teacher, and "Three-Eight Red Flag Holder" at Qingdao University of Technology.
Dongyi Lei, Associate Professor/PhD Supervisor, Innovation Leading Talent-"Xuncheng Yingcai", Gold Award Instructor, Gold Award Instructor for the "Internet Plus" Competition at the Provincial Level, Evaluation Expert for High-Tech Enterprises in Shandong Province Hosting major municipal research projects and National Natural Science Foundation of China. Publishing over 30 papers in Materials Today Physics, Nano Research, Composites Part B: Engineering, Journal of the Chinese Ceramic Society, etc as the first or corresponding author. Publishing one industry standard as an editor in chief, applying over 20 invention patents. The research subject includes ultra-high-strength and ultra-high-ductility cement-based composites (ECC/SHCC, UHPC), seawater and sea-sand concrete (SSC), durability enhancement and non-destructive monitoring of concrete, low-carbon mineral-based building materials, and electromagnetic multifunctional materials.
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 17 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2023 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2023 IF is 9.6 (9.0, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.
About SciOpen
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