Multifunctional SiC nanofiber aerogel with superior electromagnetic wave absorption

Multifunctional high-level performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials is receiving increasing attention with the rapid development of modern information technology. However, current EMW absorbing materials usually have single function and poor thermal and chemical stability, which seriously hinders the practical application of these materials. Herein, to broaden the application fields of the EMW absorption materials, a multifunctional SiC nanofiber aerogel (SiC NFA) was prepared by using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology in this work. The as-synthesized SiC NFA exhibits a quite low density (∼9 mg cm−3), excellent mechanical performance, high fatigue-resistant, satisfactory refractory property, high temperature thermal stability and good thermal insulation performance. Moreover, the oil-modified SiC NFA has a dramatic hydrophobicity, resulting in a good self-cleaning performance. This SiC NFA also achieves a superior EMW-absorbing property with a minimum refection loss (RLmin) value of −39.37 dB at 7.04 GHz when its thickness is 1.9 mm. These inspiring findings lay a foundation for the subsequent development of multifunctional EMW absorbents.