Schottky Interface Engineering in Ti3C2Tx/ZnS Organic Hydrogels for High-Performance Multifunctional Flexible Absorbers

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of wearable electronics, soft robotics, and camouflage technologies, there is an urgent demand for flexible, multifunctional electromagnetic wave absorbing materials. Traditional absorbers, including metal- and carbon-based materials, often lack the flexibility required for such applications. In this work, a novel strategy is proposed for developing a flexible absorber by combining a conductive filler with a Schottky heterogeneous interface and a polymer network framework. Ti₃C₂T_x MXene is modified with ZnS via a low-temperature hydrothermal method, forming a Ti₃C₂T_x/ZnS composite. This composite is subsequently embedded in a copolymer matrix of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and acrylamide (AAm), dispersed in a binary water-glycerol solution. The Schottky interface between Ti₃C₂T_x and ZnS enhances electron transfer at the heterophase boundary, significantly improving interface polarisation. Simultaneously, interactions between water and glycerol restrict the rotation of polar molecules under external electromagnetic fields, optimising polarisation loss within the gel. Experimental results demonstrate that the Ti₃C₂T_x/ZnS gel achieves a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of −43.76 dB at 8.79 GHz, with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) covering the entire X-band. Additionally, the gel exhibit exceptional stretchability, frost resistance, shape adaptability, and photothermal conversion properties.