Multifunctional ultralight magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2/Ti3C2T /rGO aerogel with efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and thermal management properties

The rational and effective fabrication of multicomponent materials, coupled with innovative microstructure design, remains a formidable challenge in achieving efficient electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) behaviors to meet the requirement of rapid advances in electronics. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchically porous Fe3O4/SiO2/Ti3C2Tx MXene/rGO (FSMRG) aerogels were obtained via a directional freeze-drying and subsequent thermal reduction strategy. It has been found that with the filling ratio of 5wt.%, the ultralight FSMRG-2 aerogel (7.42 mg cm-3) exhibits optimal EMA performances with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of −76.6 dB, and the corresponding maximal effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is up to 5.36 GHz covering the frequency ranges from 12.48 GHz to 17.84 GHz. The outstanding EMA performances of FSMRG-2 aerogel can be attributed to the synergy effects from the multicomponent interfacial polarization, multiple loss pathways and favorable impedance matching as evidenced with the electromagnetic parameter analysis. In addition, the FSMRG-2 aerogel also displays excellent hydrophobicity and thermal insulation capabilities, rendering them suitable for application in complicated environments characterized by humid and high-temperature conditions. Therefore, this study presents a reliable and facile strategy for the precise construction of lightweight, efficient and multifunctional EMA materials.