Biomorphic porous graphitic carbon for electromagnetic interference shielding

Using a kind of plant biomass (coconut shell) as template and carbon precursor, we prepare biomorphic porous carbon materials for electromagnetic interference shielding application. The carbon frameworks of the porous carbon materials are modified by in situ formation of graphitic nanostructures in a catalytic graphitization process, leading to well-tailored electrical conductivity of the resultant materials. The modified porous carbon materials exhibit shielding effectiveness of 40 dB over the X-band frequency, and the shielding by absorption is as high as 91%, indicating an absorption-dominant shielding mechanism. The high absorption contribution is attributed to the coupled effects of the biomorphic porous structures and graphitic nanostructures of the porous graphitic carbon.