Facile fabrication of novel high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding nickel foam.

Porous structure design is critical and challenging in the fabrication of high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. Herein, the porous Ni skeleton is prepared by solution combustion method and cured through polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), forming a Ni foam by the stacking of porous Ni. The properties of PDMS and porous Ni endow Ni foam with stable structure, excellent electrical conductivity, magnetic properties and porous internal structure, which make electromagnetic waves not only experience conductive loss and magnetic loss, but also reflect and scatter several times in the porous interface during propagation inside the foam, further improving the shielding efficiency (SE) of Ni foam. Compared with the as-prepared foam mixed with graphene (rGO) and polyaniline (Pani) powder, the Ni foam shows the best structural strength, lowest resistivity (1.32 Ω/cm) and highest SE (56 dB). Moreover, the rough surface and PDMS modification enable Ni foam to obtain self-cleaning and anti-fouling properties, expanding its application range. This study opens an innovative, simple and efficient synthesis method for porous shielding materials which extends the application prospects of porous materials in the field of EMI shielding. [Display omitted] • Rapid preparation by solution combustion method for porous structures of Ni. • Curing of porous Ni by PDMS to construct stable Ni foam. • The mechanism of Ni foam electromagnetic shielding was proposed. • Structural and material properties impart hydrophobic properties to Ni foam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]