Ultralight Flexible Collagen Fiber Based Aerogels Derived from Leather Solid Waste for High Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Designing and developing high-performance shielding materials against electromagnetic interference is of utmost importance due to the rapid advancement of wireless telecommunication technologies. Such materials hold both fundamental and technological significance. A three-stage process is presented for creating ultralight, flexible aerogels from biomass to shield against electromagnetic interference. Collagen fibers sourced from leather solid waste are used for: (i) freeze-drying preparation of collagen fibers/poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) aerogels, (ii) adsorption of silver nanowires (AgNWs) onto collagen fiber/PVA aerogels, and (iii) Hydrophobic modification of collagen fiber/PVA/AgNWs aerogels with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H-perfluorodecyltriethoxysilane (POTS). Scanning electron microscopy studies reveal that an interweaving of AgNWs and collagen fiber/PVA porous network has formed a conductive network, exhibiting an electrical conductivity of 10(3) Sm(-1). The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness reached more than 62 dB, while the density was merely 5.8 mg/cm(3). The collagen fiber/PVA/AgNWs/POTS aerogel displayed an even better electromagnetic shielding efficiency of 73 dB and water contact angle of 147 degrees. The study results emphasize the distinctive capacity of leather solid waste to generate cost-effective, ecofriendly, and highly efficient electromagnetic interference shielding materials.