Facile construction of 2D MXene (Ti3C2Tx) based aerogels with effective fire-resistance and electromagnetic interference shielding performance

Abstract

• Preparation of non-toxic, lightweight and fire-resistant EMI shielding aerogel. • Such aerogels are fabricated by freeze-drying method. • High SSE/t value (5729 dB cm 2 g −1 ) exceeds many other reported porous materials. Rapid growing of electronics has not only caused severe electromagnetic wave pollution, but also created a risk of fire and explosion. Therefore, developing ultralight, fire-resistant, high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are imperative but also challenging. Considering the outstanding metallic conductivity and high aspect ratio, 2D Ti 3 C 2 T x has been reported to be one of the most promising candidates for exhibiting excellent EMI shielding performance. Herein, we demonstrate a facile method to fabricate cellulose nanofiber (CNF)/ammonium polyphosphate (APP)/Ti 3 C 2 T x composite aerogels via a simple freeze-drying method. The resultant CNF/APP/Ti 3 C 2 T x composite aerogels exhibited excellent fire-resistance without obvious shrinkage when placed over the flame of an alcohol burner. Besides, the 8-mm-thick composite aerogel with 60% of Ti 3 C 2 T x showed an average EMI shielding effectiveness of 55 dB (specific EMI shielding effectiveness/thickness could be ~5729 dB cm 2 g −1 ) with an absorption-dominant mechanism. This performance is owing to the relative high electrical conductivity (12 S/m) and multiple reflections from the porous structure. These characteristics make the composite aerogel a much more competitive product for a high-performance EMI shielding material.