Bioinspired Multifunctional Flexible C‐SiC Fibrous Aerogel for Superior Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Under Extreme Environments

ABSTRACT The flexible, lightweight, and high‐temperature‐resistant aerogels with both thermal insulation and electromagnetic shielding functions are urgently required in many high‐tech fields. Although carbon‐based aerogels are promising, they are not satisfactory due to complex manufacturing processes and poor oxidation resistance (<500°C). Therefore, it is still a great challenge to design materials with processing advantages and multiple functions. Drawing inspiration from the unique structure of momordica charantia, this work developed a biomimetic C‐SiC fibrous aerogel by employing low‐cost polysiloxane and polyacrylonitrile as precursor materials. The C‐SiC fiber exhibited special surface morphology with protrusions and hierarchical pores, as well as a loose core after a fabrication procedure involving centrifugal spinning and high‐temperature sintering processes. The momordica charantia‐like structure endowed the flexible C‐SiC fibrous aerogel with ultralow density of 3.9 mg cm ⁻³ , exceptionally low thermal conductivity (9.12 mW m ⁻¹ K ⁻¹ ), and an ultrahigh specific electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (346 828.6 dB cm ² g ⁻¹ ). Besides compressibility and resilience, the aerogel exhibited outstanding acid‐alkali corrosion resistance, ultrahigh‐temperature stability (2000°C), and relatively good oxidation resistance (1000°C). This work delivered a scalable, cost‐effective biomimetic strategy for fabricating high‐performance fibrous aerogels as next‐generation structure‐function integrated materials, with potential applications in aerospace thermal protection and related high‐temperature environments.