A popcorn-inspired strategy for compounding graphene@NiFe₂O₄ flexible films for strong electromagnetic interference shielding and absorption

Compounding functional nanoparticles with highly conductive and porous carbon scaffolds is a basic pathway for engineering many important functional devices. However, enabling uniform spatial distribution of functional particles within a massively conjugated, monolithic and mesoporous structure remains challenging, as the high processing temperature for graphitization can arouse nanoparticle ripening, agglomerations and compositional changes. Herein, we report a unique “popcorn-making-mimic” strategy for preparing a highly conjugated and uniformly compounded graphene@NiFe₂O₄ composite film through a laser-assisted instantaneous compounding method in ambient condition. It can successfully inhibit the unwanted structural disintegration and mass loss during the laser treatment by avoiding oxidation, bursting, and inhomogeneous heat accumulations, thus achieving a highly integrated composite structure with superior electrical conductivity and high saturated magnetization. Such a single-sided film exhibits an absolute shielding effectiveness of up to 20906 dB cm²/g with 75% absorption rate, superior mechanical flexibility and excellent temperature/humidity aging reliability. These performance indexes signify a substantial advance in EMI absorption capability, fabrication universality, small form-factor and device reliability toward commercial applications. Our method provides a paradigm for fabricating sophisticated composite materials for versatile applications.

Mingjie Liu, Zhiyuan Wang, Zhaoqiang Song, Fangcheng Wang, Guangyao Zhao, Haojie Zhu, Zhuofei Jia, Zhenbin Guo, Feiyu Kang, Cheng Yang