Cabbage-like flexible fluororubber/carbon aerogel hybrids with negative Poisson's ratios and excellent microwave absorption

Carbon aerogels have excellent heat resistance and electrical con-ductivity, but their poor structural integrity significantly limits their applications. We design a stable carbon nanotube (CNT)/graphene oxide (GO)-based carbon aerogel with a "cabbage-like"structure that is created through initial hydrogel formation via hydrothermal annular convection to realize the self-assembly of GO nanosheets and CNTs, followed by freeze drying of the hydrogel. The formed carbon aerogel is subsequently modified by a fluororubber solution to achieve both physical coating and hydrogen bonding between the thin fluororubber film and the aerogel. Thanks to the unique cab-bage-like architecture and porous structure stabilized and pro-tected by the fluororubber film, the resultant fluororubber/carbon aerogel (FCGA) hybrids possess unique mechanical properties, including negative Poisson's ratios during compression and superior compressibility. Besides, FCGA hybrids have a low thermal conduc-tivity, outstanding fire resistance, and exceptional microwave -ab-sorption performance. Therefore, FCGA hybrids are promising for applications in flexible/wearable electronics, microwave absorp-tion, etc.