A Jackfruit-Inspired Ultralight High Load-Bearing Multifunctional Microwave Absorbing Composite with High Temperature Resistance by Modified E-Glass Fabric/ Oriented Aerogel

Abstract

Conventional  polymer matrix microwave absorbing (MA) composites often struggle to balance lightweight design with high load-bearing capacity. Inspired by the bract-shell structure of jackfruit, we introduces an armored shell design on the outer layer of aligned aerogels, significantly enhancing mechanical strength while preserving their intrinsic advantages, such as excellent impedance matching and microwave attenuation. At the microscopic level, a heterogeneous interface structure was constructed by in-situ growth of 0D Mo2C nanoparticles on 2D graphite nanosheets (GN). The multi-interfacial heterostructure forms a magneto-electric coupling network that enhances interfacial polarization,  improving MA performance. At the macroscopic level, an GN@Mo2C oriented aerogel was fabricated within a modified 3D integrated hollow E-glass fabric using ice-templating. The aerogel was then backfilled with a high-temperature-resistant 9802 resin/hollow glass microsphere(HGM) slurry to produce the final GN@Mo2C/E-glass composite. By precisely controlling the supercooling process at different depths within the cold trap, the dispersion state of GN@Mo2C absorbers in the sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) framework was optimized, resulting in superior dielectric properties and a broadened absorption bandwidth. The composite achieved full-band coverage in the X and Ku bands.For mechanics, the synergistic effect of GN@Mo2C interfacial stress dispersion/enhanced force conduction of vertically oriented aerogel sheets/resin-aerogel interlocking and interface modification, the flexural strength of the composite increased from 9 MPa to 81 MPa, while maintaining excellent mechanical stability after annealing at 300 °C for 30 h. Additionally, the composite exhibited outstanding thermal insulation and flame retardancy. This work provides an effective strategy for  compatibility of lightweight and high load-bearing MA composite.

Keywords: Oriented aerogel, Multifunctional composite, Integrated wave-absorption and load bearing, Infrared stealth, High temperature resistance