Hierarchically porous aerogels with heterogeneous nanodomains constructed from sub-1 nm nanowires for efficient microwave absorption
image: Inspired by butterfly wings, aerogels with aligned microchannels and nanoscale ridges are fabricated from sub-1 nm Gd/Bi-based nanowires via freeze casting. Their hierarchical structure optimizes impedance matching, while internal amorphous/crystalline nanodomains form synergistic interfaces that enhance charge transfer and interfacial polarization.
Credit: Nano Research, Tsinghua University Press
The escalating advancements in wireless communication and electronic devices have intensified electromagnetic pollution, driving an urgent demand for high-performance microwave absorption materials (MAMs). The core challenge in designing high-performance MAMs is the simultaneous achievement of excellent impedance matching and a strong attenuation capability. Early research primarily focused on conventional materials such as carbon-based structures and ferrites. Although carbon materials such as graphene and carbon nanotubes offer strong dielectric loss, their high conductivity often leads to poor impedance matching and surface reflection. Furthermore, although ferrites provide magnetic loss, their low Snoek's limit restricts their application at high frequencies.
A team led by Professor Huazheng Sai (Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology) and Professor Gaofeng Shao (Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology) recently studied bio-inspired aerogels based on sub-1 nm nanowires for efficient microwave absorption, advancing the field. This study provides new insights for designing heterointerface-rich absorbing materials and proposes a strategic approach for developing high-performance electromagnetic wave attenuation systems based on sub-1 nm nanometer materials, highlighting their great potential for electromagnetic protection applications.
The team published their research in Nano Research on March 30, 2026
Sub-1 nm nanowires possess a nearly 100% surface atomic ratio and exhibit pronounced surface effects and quantum confinement effects, which induce built-in electric fields (BIEFs). BIEFs facilitate directional charge migration and interfacial polarization, significantly boosting polarization loss and impedance matching to enhance absorption efficiency.
The core innovation of this work lies in designing a butterfly wing‑like bio‑inspired hierarchically porous structure rich in heterogeneous nanodomains within a single material. The abundant pores allow electromagnetic waves to undergo additional scattering at large incident angles. These pores act as resonant cavities that distort the electromagnetic field near their surface, thereby generating multiple oscillations and diffraction effects. The numerous heterogeneous nanodomains create various heterointerfaces, laying the foundation for interfacial polarization of electromagnetic waves inside the material. Moreover, the incorporation of Bi‑SNWs successfully introduces Schottky interfaces, lowering the energy barrier for charge transfer, promoting charge migration, and enhancing conduction loss. During heat treatment, Bi‑SNWs generate Gd2MoO6, which endows the material with magnetic loss characteristics. The synergistic effect of magnetic loss, multiple scattering loss, and dielectric loss enables the material to achieve broadband electromagnetic wave absorption.
Other contributors include Tao Zhang, Baoqiang Bai, Rui Fu, and Yuxiang Du from Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology (all in Inner Mongolia, China).
This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia (2025YQ047), National Natural Science Foundation of China (52164013, 22466028),
Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by Jiangsu Association for Science and Technology (JSTJ2023XH047). China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2025T180037).
DOI Link:
https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2026.94908689
About Nano Research
Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 8,000 articles. In 2025 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 IF is 9.4 (8.3, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.