Micro-helical Ni3Fe chain encapsulated in ultralight MXene/C aerogel to realize multi-functionality: Radar stealth, thermal insulation, fire resistance, and mechanical properties

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Vol. 492; p. 152248
• Main Authors: Lin, Sen, Lin, Jing, Xiong, Zhiqiang, He, Xue, Li, Xin, Liu, Chongbo, Wang, Chengying, Zeng, Xiaojun, Nie, Xuliang, Che, Renchao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15-07-2024
• Subjects: Computer simulation technology; Electromagnetic synergy; In-situ grown poly-Schiff-base aerogel; Micro-helical Ni3Fe chain; Multi-functional composite material; MXene/C aerogel; Multi-functional composite material; Computer simulation technology; MXene/C aerogel; In-situ grown poly-Schiff-base aerogel; Electromagnetic synergy; Micro-helical Ni3Fe chain
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.152248

•The EG polymerization induces assembly of Ni3Fe particles into a microhelical chain.•Poly-Schiff-base gel is in-situ grown on Ni3Fe/MXene to avoid MXene stacking.•TiO2/Ni3Fe/MXene/C aerogel is prepared as a useful microwave absorption material.•The aerogel shows radar stealth, thermal insulation, fire and compression resistance.•The enhanced magnetic coupling and loss of Ni3Fe chains are verified by simulation.
Magnetic carbon aerogels with high porosity, ultralow density, and excellent impedance matching are considered to be a promising microwave absorption (MA) material. In this study, ethylene glycol polymerization is used to assemble Ni3Fe particles into a micro-helical chain, which is further wrapped by MXene and then encapsulated in poly-Schiff-base aerogels through the carbonyl–amine condensation reaction. Finally, ultralight TiO2/Ni3Fe/MXene/C (NFMC) aerogels are synthesized through calcination treatment. Benefiting from the electromagnetic synergistic effect of multi-dimensional and multi-component materials, the NFMC-7 aerogel exhibits excellent MA performance with a minimum reflection loss of −61.6 dB at 3.0-mm thickness and an effective absorption bandwidth of 8.16 GHz at 2.77-mm thickness under a low filler loading of 7.6 wt%. Commercial computer simulation technology is used to verify the strong magnetic and dielectric loss characteristics of Ni3Fe chains. At the same time, the NFMC-7 aerogel exhibits excellent radar stealth, heat insulation, compression resistance, and fire resistance performance, which verifies its practical applicability. Overall, this work establishes an effective strategy to fabricate multi-functional magnetic aerogels, which can serve as lightweight, thin, and strong microwave absorbers with broad absorption bandwidth.