Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
10:23
Synthesis and Functionalization of 3D Nano-graphene Materials: Graphene Aerogels and Graphene Macro Assemblies
Published on: November 5, 2015
Bridging In-Plane Order to Macroscopic Isotropic Ultralight MXene-Graphene Aerogels
Yu-Chuan Zhang1, Jing-Jing Zhan1, Fu-Rong Zeng2
1Collaborative Innovation Center For Eco-Friendly and Fire-Safety Polymeric Materials (MoE), National Engineering Laboratory For Eco-Friendly Polymer Materials (Sichuan), College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|August 5, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed an ultralight MXene-graphene aerogel with isotropic nanosheet organization. This breakthrough enables robust, three-dimensional porous architectures for advanced material applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Precise organization of two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets in macroscopic porous architectures is challenging.
- Achieving long-range, three-dimensional (3D) frameworks from 2D materials without structural collapse has been elusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for creating ultralight aerogels with isotropic nanosheet organization across multiple length scales.
- To enable the fabrication of robust 3D porous frameworks from 2D materials.
Main Methods:
- Utilized alginate-induced liquid-crystalline assembly for nanosheet organization.
- Employed rapid ice-nucleation-driven compaction for framework stabilization.
- Fabricated aerogels via ambient-pressure drying to maintain structural integrity.
Main Results:
- Successfully created an ultralight MXene-graphene aerogel with a density of 9.0 mg cm-3.
- Achieved isotropic nanosheet organization from nanoscale to macroscopic porous networks.
- Demonstrated enhanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding due to efficient electron transport.
Conclusions:
- Established a general strategy for constructing porous multiscale isotropic nanosheet architectures.
- The developed method overcomes limitations in translating 2D material properties to bulk applications.
- The isotropic aerogel framework homogenizes capillary stresses, enabling ambient-pressure fabrication.
