Design and Fabrication of Porous Polymer Gels Composites with Enhanced Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance

With growing concern over the potential health risks of electromagnetic radiation, the development of efficient and eco-friendly electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials has become increasingly important. In absorption-dominated shielding systems, performance enhancement primarily arises from the synergistic dielectric and magnetic losses, while three-dimensional porous architectures effectively facilitate the internal attenuation of electromagnetic waves. In this study, nickel was deposited onto graphene nanoplatelets through a dopamine-assisted electroless plating process, followed by the incorporation of carbon fibers (CF) and nickel-coated graphene nanoplatelets (GNP@PDA@Ni) into a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix to form a flexible PVA/CF/GNP@PDA@Ni(PCGN) polymer gels system. Experimental results demonstrate that the PCGN-15 gel achieves an EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 45 dB in the X-band with an absorption-dominated mechanism (A/R > 1). Furthermore, the PCGN-25 composite exhibits a superior SE of 75 dB, effectively blocking 99.99% of microwave radiation, which meets the stringent requirements for radio frequency devices and electronic communications. Notably, the PCGN polymer gels also display robust mechanical properties, the elongation at break reaches 264%, and the tensile strength reaches 273 kPa and excellent flexibility at low temperatures (−20 °C), indicating their suitability for diverse environmental conditions. These attributes collectively highlight the material’s potential for future deployment in advanced electromagnetic protection systems and emerging flexible electronic technologies.