Nano-assembled modified graphene composites based on rapid microwave fabrication for thermal management

Abstract

Carbon materials are commonly considered as the main wave-absorbing material for radar stealth in conventional stealth materials. In fact, nanoscale modulation can adequately exploit their superior properties to develop their potential as infrared stealth. In this paper, an ingenious strategy is proposed for rapidly preparing carbon-based materials through simple microwave radiation. Graphene oxide is modified by a “defect/ion matching” mechanism to accomplish the structural construction of the carbon chessboard/silver chess pieces (CCB-SCP). Additionally, inexpensive chitosan has been introduced via topological bonding without using binders. Due to the delicate structural design, CCB-SCP/Chitosan has low density (0.064 g cm−3), ultra-low thermal conductivity (0.018 W m−1 K−1), and significant thermal shielding temperature difference (ΔT ∼ 50℃). The cost-effective composite material can be applied to thermal management in medium–high temperature sections (∼200℃). At a heating platform of 190 °C, CCB-SCP/Chitosan can provide a temperature drop of up to 46℃. In addition, CCB-SCP/Chitosan exhibits good electrical conductivity, thermal insulation stability, and relatively low infrared emissivity. An innovative approach to the delicate design of carbon-based materials utilizing microwaves, including carbon layers encapsulation, three-dimensional structures, and five-fold twinned particles, is proposed, which opens a new avenue for nanostructure-based thermal camouflage applications in the medium to high temperature region.