Work

Structure-Dependent Resistance to Plasma Impact and Terahertz Shielding Stability of MXene/Aramid Nanofiber Composite Films

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: To improve the durability of terahertz (THz) electromagnetic shielding materials in atomic oxygen environments relevant to low Earth orbit (LEO), two MXene/para-aramid nanofiber (ANF) composite architectures were designed, including a uniformly blended structure and a sandwich configuration. Ti3C2Tx MXene was used as the conductive phase, while ANF served as a protective matrix. Oxygen plasma treatment was employed to simulate atomic oxygen exposure. The results show that the plasma resistance of blended films strongly depends on MXene content. Increasing the MXene fraction enhances conductive network redundancy and reduces conductivity degradation. In contrast, the sandwich-structured film exhibits superior structural stability. The outer ANF layers effectively limit direct plasma–MXene interaction and undergo surface carbonization during plasma exposure, forming an additional diffusion barrier. As a result, the sandwich film maintains stable THz shielding performance, with the average shielding effectiveness increasing from 42.6 dB to 44.9 dB after plasma treatment. These results indicate that structural regulation of the internal conductive network, which limits plasma penetration, is essential for maintaining stable MXene-based THz shielding performance under oxidative plasma conditions.

Source: Materials

DOI: 10.3390/ma19112195

Authors: Yizhou Luo, Jingyu Wang, Xing Luo, Hengpei Su, Zelin Zhao, Wanxia Huang

Institutions: Sichuan University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, State Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices

Language: English

Topic: Electromagnetic wave absorption materials

Subfield: Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials

Field: Materials Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137

Funder: Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China