Nature inspired hierarchical structures in nano-cellular epoxy/graphene-Fe3O4 nanocomposites with ultra-efficient EMI and robust mechanical strength

Hierarchical layered structures,whether in a compact form like nacre or a porous manner like bone,are well known for their combined features of high stiffness,strength,and lightweight,inspiring many man-made materials and structures for high performance applications.The use of nacre/bone like hierarchical structures in polymer nanocomposites can achieve excellent mechanical and functional properties with high filler volume fractions after carefully aligning functional nanofillers,although the fabrication and processing remain a great challenge.In this work,a bio-inspired lightweight nano-cellular epoxy/graphene-Fe_(3)O_(4) nanocomposite with high nanofiller loading of 75 wt.%was successfully fabricated by combining features from both nacre and bone structures,via a simple compression molding process together with an eco-friendly supercritical CO_(2) foaming process to achieve robust mechanical strength and excellent electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding effectiveness(SE)simultaneously.Highly aligned graphene-Fe_(3)O_(4) nanoplatelets with well controlled nanoscale porous structures(52.6 nm)enabled both low density(1.26 g/cm^(3))and high specific EMI SE>5200 dB/cm^(2)/g,as well as preserved tensile strength of 67 MPa.This study provides a sustainable route to fabricate nature mimicked structures with high performance and high flexibility for a wide range of applications,from portable electronics to healthcare devices.