Ultralight Graphene Foam/Conductive Polymer Composites for Exceptional Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Ultralight, high-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding graphene foam (GF)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) composites are developed by drop coating of PEDOT:PSS on cellular-structured, freestanding GFs. To enhance the wettability and the interfacial bonds with PEDOT:PSS, GFs are functionalized with 4-dodecylbenzenesulfonic acid. The GF/PEDOT:PSS composites possess an ultralow density of 18.2 × 10⁻³ g/cm³ and a high porosity of 98.8%, as well as an enhanced electrical conductivity by almost 4 folds from 11.8 to 43.2 S/cm after the incorporation of the conductive PEDOT:PSS. Benefiting from the excellent electrical conductivity, ultralight porous structure, and effective charge delocalization, the composites deliver remarkable EMI shielding performance with a shielding effectiveness (SE) of 91.9 dB and a specific SE (SSE) of 3124 dB·cm³/g, both of which are the highest among those reported in the literature for carbon-based polymer composites. The excellent electrical conductivities of composites arising from both the GFs with three-dimensionally interconnected conductive networks and the conductive polymer coating, as well as the left-handed composites with absolute permittivity and/or permeability larger than one give rise to significant microwave attenuation by absorption.