3D printing lamellar Ti3C2Tx MXene/graphene hybrid aerogels for enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding performance

Abstract

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes), especially Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets, offer high conductivities comparable to metal, and are very promising for fabricating high performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Due to the weak gelation capability of MXenes, MXene/graphene hybrid aerogels were mostly studied. Among those studied, anisotropic hybrid aerogels showed excellent electrical properties in certain direction due to the intrinsic anisotropic properties of 2D materials. However, the present preparation methods for anisotropic hybrid aerogels lack freedom of geometry, and their electrical performances still have room for improvement. In this study, based on our previous work, the lamellar Ti₃C₂T_x MXene/graphene hybrid aerogels generated by 3D printing with Ti₃C₂T_x MXene/graphene oxide (GO) water–TBA dispersions demonstrated enhanced conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance. The addition of MXene deeply influenced the lamellar structure of the hybrid aerogels, and made the structure more ordered than that in the 3D printed lamellar graphene aerogels. The printed lamellar MXene/graphene hybrid aerogels achieved a maximum electrical conductivity of 1236 S m⁻¹. The highest EMI shielding efficiency (EMI SE) of the hybrid aerogels was up to 86.9 dB, while the absolute shielding effectiveness (SSE/t) was up to 25 078.1 dB cm² g⁻¹ at 12.4 GHz. These values are higher than those of most reported anisotropic MXene-based nanocomposite aerogels.