Lightweight Ti₂CT<i>_x</i> MXene/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Foams for Electromagnetic Wave Shielding with Absorption-Dominated Feature

Abstract

Lightweight absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are more attractive than conventional reflection-dominated counterparts because they minimize the twice pollution of the reflected electromagnetic (EM) wave. Here, porous Ti₂CT _x MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite foams constructed by few-layered Ti₂CT _x (f-Ti₂CT _x) MXene and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are fabricated via a facile freeze-drying method. As superior EMI shielding materials, their calculated specific shielding effectiveness reaches up to 5136 dB cm² g^-1 with an ultralow filler content of only 0.15 vol % and reflection effectiveness (SE_R) of less than 2 dB, representing the excellent absorption-dominated shielding performance. Contrast experiment reveals that the good impedance matching derived from the multiple porous structures, internal reflection, and polarization effect (dipole and interfacial polarization) plays a synergistic role in the improved absorption efficiency and superior EMI shielding performance. Consequently, this work provides a promising MXene-based EMI shielding candidate with lightweight and high strength features.