Ultra-fast, cost-effective and scale-up preparation of lightweight electromagnetic interference shielding graphite worm-based aerogel

Lightweight aerogels with conductive properties have been widely considered promising materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. However, there are still challenges to achieve large-scale preparation of aerogels through simple, convenient and economical methods. In this study, graphite worm-based aerogel (GWA) with high electrical conductivity was prepared by one-step mixing graphite worms with a gel-like product made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), glycerol and borax. The phase separation between the hydrophobic graphite worm and the hydrophilic polymer enables excellent retention of the pore structure. The “worm-like” porous structural framework promotes the scattering and reflection of EM waves, effectively attenuating EM energy. The results indicate that the developed GWA material exhibits a high shielding performance of 58.0 dB. The existence of a three-dimensional conductive network endows the GWA material with excellent Joule heating performance (146.1 °C) at 10 V. In addition, the GWA material exhibited EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) retention of 98.1 % after three recycling cycles, which guarantees its service life in practical applications. This study provides a feasible solution for the large-scale preparation of aerogels with excellent EMI shielding performance, effectively alleviating the contradiction between the construction of porous structures and large-scale production.