The preparation of SiO2/SWCNT@Ni composite film with sandwich structure and its excellent electromagnetic shielding and thermal insulation performances in extreme environment

With the continuous exploration of the extreme environment in space, strong space radiation and extreme high temperature environment have brought great challenges to the research work of astronauts. This study effectively created the SiO2/SWCNT@Ni composite film with electromagnetic shielding and thermal insulation performances by a high-temperature carbon reduction process utilizing the SiO2 nanofiber, the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT), and Ni(NO3)2 as raw ingredients. The adaptable SiO2 nanofiber membrane was synthesized by sol–gel and electrospinning methods utilizing tetraethyl n-silicate hydrolysis precursors as the primary ingredients. At a result, when the content of SWCNT content is 9 wt%, the average EMI SET of SiO2/SWCNT9@Ni is 39.4 dB, and the thermal conductivity measures 0.0405 W/m·K. In addition, SiO2/SWCNT9@Ni shows a good flame-retardant performance. Consequently, this research holds significant reference value in the field of manned spaceflight. SiO2/SWCNT@Ni composite film with sandwich structure has excellent electromagnetic shielding and thermal insulation performances.