Coaxial Electrospun Ti<sub>3</sub>C<sub>2</sub>Tx MXene/Polyacrylonitrile Hollow Nanofiber for Enhancing Electromagnetic Interference Shielding
Tibebu Shiferaw Kassa, Abdurohman Mengesha Yessuf, Mohamedazeem M. Mohideen, Ayenew M. Mihiretu, Yong Liu
Abstract
The potential of MXene-based composites for electromagnetic interference shielding is often limited by challenges such as poor dispersion, inadequate alignment, low surface area, and weak interaction with polymer matrices, as a result reducing shielding efficiency. To address these issues, we employ coaxial electrospinning and fabricate MXene/polyacrylonitrile hollow nanofibers by incorporating MXene at varying concentrations into the polyacrylonitrile matrix with controlled morphology, reduced density, and enhanced surface area, thereby optimizing electromagnetic wave attenuation for improved electromagnetic interface shielding. As a result, in performance across a wide frequency range of 2–18 GHz, the resultant composite containing 2.12 wt % MXene achieved an electrical conductivity of 38.26 S·cm –1, with maximum shielding effectiveness of 40.08 dB in X-band and 44.15 dB in Ku-band, along with a specific shielding effectiveness per unit thickness value of 15,171.66 dB·cm 2 ·g –1 . Furthermore, the hollow nanofibers containing 8.0 wt % MXene achieved a shielding effectiveness of 63.41 dB in the X band and 71.19 dB in the Ku band, with specific shielding effectiveness per unit thickness of 20,421.64 dB·cm 2 ·g –1 . The electrical conductivity reached 105.62 S·cm –1 . Due to their exceptional electromagnetic interface shielding abilities, 8 wt % MXene/polyacrylonitrile hollow nanofibers enhance significant potential for applications in diverse fields, including medical devices, industrial systems, construction materials, and military aviation technologies.