Large Microsphere Structure of a Co/C Composite Derived from Co-MOF with Excellent Wideband Electromagnetic Microwave Absorption Performance.

In the field of electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption, carbon matrix materials based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have drawn more interest as a result of their outstanding advantages, such as porous structure, lightweight, controlled morphology, etc. However, how to broaden the effective absorption bandwidth [EAB; reflection loss (RL) ≤ -10 dB] is still a challenge. In this paper, large microsphere structures of a Co/C composite composed of small particle clusters were successfully prepared by the solvothermal method and annealing treatment. At a filling ratio of 40 wt %, the Co/C composite shows attractive microwave absorption (MA) performance after being annealed at 600 °C in an atmosphere of argon. With an EAB of 6.32 GHz (9.92-16.24 GHz) and a thickness of just 2.57 mm, the minimum RL can be attained at -54.55 dB. Most importantly, the EAB can attain 7.12 GHz (10.88-18.0 GHz) when the thickness is 2.38 mm, which is larger than that of the majority of MOF-derived composites. The superior MA performance is strongly related to excellent impedance matching and a higher attenuation constant. This study provides a simple strategy for synthesizing a MOF-derived Co/C composite with a wide EAB.

Initiating Binary Metal Oxides Microcubes Electrsomagnetic Wave Absorber Toward Ultrabroad Absorption Bandwidth Through Interfacial and Defects Modulation.

Cobalt nickel bimetallic oxides (NiCo2O4) have received numerous attentions in terms of their controllable morphology, high temperature, corrosion resistance and strong electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption capability. However, broadening the absorption bandwidth is still a huge challenge for NiCo2O4-based absorbers. Herein, the unique NiCo2O4@C core-shell microcubes with hollow structures were fabricated via a facile sacrificial template strategy. The concentration of oxygen vacancies and morphologies of the three-dimensional (3D) cubic hollow core-shell NiCo2O4@C framework were effectively optimized by adjusting the calcination temperature. The specially designed 3D framework structure facilitated the multiple reflections of incident electromagnetic waves and provided rich interfaces between multiple components, generating significant interfacial polarization losses. Dipole polarizations induced by oxygen vacancies could further enhance the attenuation ability for the incident EM waves. The optimized NiCo2O4@C hollow microcubes exhibit superior EMW absorption capability with minimum RL (RLmin) of -84.45 dB at 8.4 GHz for the thickness of 3.0 mm. Moreover, ultrabroad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) as large as 12.48 GHz (5.52-18 GHz) is obtained. This work is believed to illuminate the path to synthesis of high-performance cobalt nickel bimetallic oxides for EMW absorbers with excellent EMW absorption capability, especially in broadening effective absorption bandwidth.

Tunable Electromagnetic and Microwave Absorption Properties of Magnetic FeNi3 Alloys.

Magnetic materials have a very broad application prospect in the field of microwave absorption, among which soft magnetic materials become the focus of magnetic materials research because of their high saturation magnetization and low coercivity. FeNi3 alloy has been widely used in soft magnetic materials because of its excellent ferromagnetism and electrical conductivity. In this work, FeNi3 alloy was prepared by the liquid reduction method. The effect of the filling ratio of FeNi3 alloy on the electromagnetic properties of absorbing materials was studied. It is found that the impedance matching ability of FeNi3 alloy is better when the filling ratio is 70 wt% than that of other samples with different filling ratios (30-60 wt%), showing better microwave absorption characteristics. When the matching thickness is 2.35 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RL) of FeNi3 alloy with a 70 wt% filling ratio reaches -40.33 dB, and the effective absorption bandwidth is 5.5 GHz. When the matching thickness is between 2 and 3 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth ranges from 7.21 GHz to 17.81 GHz, almost covering the whole X and Ku bands (8-18 GHz). The results show that FeNi3 alloy has adjustable electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption properties with different filling ratios, which is conducive to selecting excellent microwave absorption materials.

Construction of self-assembled bilayer core-shell V2O3 microspheres as absorber with superior microwave absorption performance.

The design and preparation of heterogeneous structures of dielectric materials has been the mainstream direction for the construction of superior microwave absorption materials (MAMs). We report a facile and efficient procedure combination of hydrothermal process and subsequent heat treatment for successfully prepared bilayer core-shell structure self-assembled V2O3 microspheres (BCSV). The microstructure, defects, dielectric properties and microwave absorption (MA) properties of BCSV were systematically investigated, and the effect of bilayer core-shell structure on the MA properties was discussed. By varying the heat treatment temperature, it is feasible to regulate the thickness of V2O3 bilayer and its unique structure defects, hence enhancing the attenuation and multiple polarization loss of electromagnetic waves inside the microspheres. Self-assembled V2O3 microspheres with bilayer core-shell structure exhibit high-performance MA property. The reflection loss (RL) gets to - 67.12 dB at 11.69 GHz covering the whole X-band after heat treatment at 600 °C, and the broad effective absorption bandwidth is 5.49 GHz with a thickness of 2.20 mm. The conductivity loss, multiple polarization loss and dielectric loss are ascribed to the specific bilayer core-shell structure. Thus, our work provides a good perspective on how to create vanadium oxide-based MAMs with effective absorption and broad bandwidth.

Bird-Nest-Like Multi-Interfacial MXene@SiCNWs@Co/C Hybrids with Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.

Newly emerged two-dimensional transition metal carbides and/or nitrides (MXenes) have attracted considerable interest in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption, but their excessive conductivity and single loss mechanism limit their applicability. Herein, an MXene decorated with SiCNWs@Co/C was prepared by in situ growth and carbonization processes, followed by electrostatic self-assembly. The electromagnetic wave absorption performance of MXene@SiCNWs@Co/C with a bird-nest-like structure could be effectively regulated and optimized by changing the proportion of MXene and SiCNWs@Co/C. The prepared MXene@SiCNWs@Co/C hybrid absorbers reveal superior impedance matching, complementary dissipation mechanism, and plentiful heterointerfaces. Profiting from the synergy of abovementioned factors, the resultant MXene@SiCNWs@Co/C absorber exhibits an optimum reflection loss (RL) value of -76.5 dB at 6.36 GHz under a thickness of 3.9 mm and broad effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL ≤ -10 dB) of 6.2 GHz (11.8-18.0 GHz) with a thickness of only 2.0 mm, covering the entire Ku band. This work offers new insights into designing and fabricating highly efficient MXene-based electromagnetic absorbers.

Optimized electromagnetic wave absorption ofα-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites with core-shell structure.

Core-shell structures and interfacial polarization are of great significance to meet the diversified requirements of microwave attenuation. Herein,α-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites are fabricated via a simple two-step hydrothermal process, in which MoS2nanosheets as the shell are self-assembled andα-Fe2O3microdrums are used as the core to constitute a special flower-like morphology with core-shell structure. This structure can provide more interface contact to achieve strong interfacial polarization and possibly offer more multiple reflection and scattering of electromagnetic waves. Furthermore, the microwave dissipation performances ofα-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites can be significantly improved through construction of core-shell structure and flower-like morphology, controlling the content ofα-Fe2O3microdrums and adjusting the filler loading ratios. This work proves that the as-synthesized nanocomposites achieve excellent effective absorption bandwidth and outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption capabilities due to their special interfaces, core-shell structures and good impedance matching conditions. Therefore,α-Fe2O3@MoS2nanocomposites are expected to be a novel and desirable candidate for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbers.

Synthesis of Cobalt Particles and Investigation of Their Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Characteristics.

As the integration technology for integrated circuit (IC) packaging continues to advance, the issue of electromagnetic interference in IC packaging becomes increasingly prominent. Magnetic materials, acknowledged for their superior electromagnetic absorption capabilities, play a pivotal role in mitigating electromagnetic interference problems. In this study, we employed a liquid-phase reduction method. We prepared three types of cobalt (Co) particles with distinct morphologies. Through variations in the synthesis process conditions, we were able to control the aspect ratio of protrusions on the surface of the Co particles. It was found that the sword-like Co particles exhibit superior electromagnetic wave absorption capabilities, showing a reflection loss value of up to -50.96 dB. Notably, when the coating thickness is only 1.6 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth is extended up to 7.6 GHz. The spatially expansive sword-like Co particles, with their unique structure featuring dipole polarization and interfacial polarization, demonstrated enhanced dielectric and magnetic loss capabilities, concurrently showcasing superior impedance-matching performance.

Liquid metal derived MOF functionalized nanoarrays with ultra-wideband electromagnetic absorption.

Low melting point liquid metal alloys are progressively utilized in different research fields due to their unique physicochemical properties. Among them, EGaIn is liquid at room temperature with an excellent solubility for reactive metal atoms such as Al. Combined with their characteristic flexible surface, large area and atomically flat interfaces, a library of two-dimensional materials can be generated. Liquid metal synthesis routes provide a highly reproducible thickness of nanosheets with fast, simple, scalable, inexpensive, high yield and non-toxic methods, especially for Al oxides and hydroxides. At the same time, Al-based heterojunction structure also shows a good application prospect in the field of electromagnetic wave absorption, therefore, the use of liquid metal synthesis methods to find the synthesis methods of Al-based layered double hydroxide (LDH) and its derivatives remains to be explored. In this work, EGaIn was used as an aluminum reservoir to prepare LDH and metal organic framework (MOFs) nano-arrays. The prepared CoAl-LDH@ZIF 67 can be transformed into CoAl-LDO@Co-C in the subsequent annealing process performed under nitrogen environments. Interestingly, a series of samples with different morphologies can be obtained by changing the synthesis parameters. The excellent electromagnetic wave interactions are fully characterized. It has an effective absorption bandwidth of 8.48 GHz at 2.6 mm. The findings demonstrated in this work pave the way for the application of lightwave and ductile complex nanoarrays obtained from liquid metals.

Ferromagnetic Ti3CNCl2-decorated RGO aerogel: From 3D interconnecting conductive network construction to ultra-broadband microwave absorber with thermal insulation property.

It remains urgent challenges to adopt suitable strategies to consume unwanted microwave pollution emitted by high-tech electronic devices satisfactorily. Confronted with narrow effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) and high filler loading bottlenecks of MXene-Based microwave absorber, herein, we employ Lewis molten salt etching approach to both exfoliate Ti3AlCN powders into Ti3CNCl2 suspension and intercalate ferromagnetic composition into interlamination simultaneously. By utilizing the crosslinking effect of dopamine, the Ti3CNCl2 are anchored on the surfaces of graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, constructing interconnecting microstructure. Both the 3D conductive network and the modification of MXene manifest crucial impacts on enhancing microwave absorption performance of the resulting ultra-lightweight reduced GO (RGO)-based aerogel. The minimum intensity of reflection loss achieves -62.62 dB with the absorber mass loading of 0.7 wt%. Remarkably, more than 90% of the incident microwave is qualified to be absorbed over the whole Ku band. The EAB is broadened while tailoring the thickness to 3 mm, ranging from 10.2 to 18 GHz. Besides, the aerogel presents valuable thermal insulation properties. Our methodology of synthesizing MXene/RGO aerogel not only provides promising insights into microstructural construction but also endows the possibility for integrating thermal insulation property towards next-generation high-performance microwave absorption devices.

A Review on Metal-Organic Framework-Derived Porous Carbon-Based Novel Microwave Absorption Materials.

The development of microwave absorption materials (MAMs) is a considerable important topic because our living space is crowed with electromagnetic wave which threatens human's health. And MAMs are also used in radar stealth for protecting the weapons from being detected. Many nanomaterials were studied as MAMs, but not all of them have the satisfactory performance. Recently, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted tremendous attention owing to their tunable chemical structures, diverse properties, large specific surface area and uniform pore distribution. MOF can transform to porous carbon (PC) which is decorated with metal species at appropriate pyrolysis temperature. However, the loss mechanism of pure MOF-derived PC is often relatively simple. In order to further improve the MA performance, the MOFs coupled with other loss materials are a widely studied method. In this review, we summarize the theories of MA, the progress of different MOF-derived PC­based MAMs, tunable chemical structures incorporated with dielectric loss or magnetic loss materials. The different MA performance and mechanisms are discussed in detail. Finally, the shortcomings, challenges and perspectives of MOF-derived PC­based MAMs are also presented. We hope this review could provide a new insight to design and fabricate MOF-derived PC-based MAMs with better fundamental understanding and practical application.

Tuning the Dielectric and Microwaves Absorption Properties of N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes by Boron Insertion.

It is of great significance to regulate the dielectric parameters and microstructure of carbon materials by elemental doping in pursuing microwave absorption (MA) materials of high performance. In this work, the surface electronic structure of N-doped CNTs was tuned by boron doping, in which the MA performance of CNTs was improved under the synergistic action of B and N atoms. The B,N-doped carbon nanotubes (B,N-CNTs) exhibited excellent MA performance, where the value of minimum reflection loss was -40.04 dB, and the efficient absorption bandwidth reached 4.9 GHz (10.5-15.4 GHz). Appropriate conductance loss and multi-polarization loss provide the main contribution to the MA of B,N-CNTs. This study provides a novel method for the design of CNTs related MA materials.

Design and synthesis of NiCo/Co4S3@C hybrid material with tunable and efficient electromagnetic absorption.

Producing electromagnetic wave absorbers with high absorption capacity and wide absorption bandwidth is still a challenge task, which limits its application in human life. In this study, a novel carbon-coated NiCo alloy/Co4S3 hybrid material was fabricated by a simple strategy. By adjusting the annealing temperature, the electromagnetic wave absorption property of NiCo/Co4S3@C hybrid material can be further improved. Herein, the NiCo/Co4S3@C hybrid material obtained at 750 °C exhibits satisfactory electromagnetic wave absorption performance. The minimum reflection loss value of -56.96 dB is obtained at 10.32 GHz, and the matching thickness is only 2.71 mm. When the thickness of the absorber is in the range of 1.8-5.0 mm, the effective absorption bandwidth is controlled between 4.64 and 18 GHz. The satisfactory properties of the hybrid materials are attributed to the space charge polarization caused by heterogeneous NiCo alloys, interfacial polarization between components and good impedance matching characteristics. The results show that NiCo/Co4S3@C hybrid material is a potential electromagnetic wave absorber.

Co7Fe3 and Co7Fe3@SiO2 Nanospheres with Tunable Diameters for High-Performance Electromagnetic Wave Absorption.

Ferromagnetic metal/alloy nanoparticles have attracted extensive interest for electromagnetic wave-absorbing applications. However, ferromagnetic nanoparticles are prone to oxidization and producing eddy currents, leading to the deterioration of electromagnetic properties. In this work, a simple and scalable liquid-phase reduction method was employed to synthesize uniform Co7Fe3 nanospheres with diameters ranging from 350 to 650 nm for high-performance microwave absorption application. Co7Fe3@SiO2 core-shell nanospheres with SiO2 shell thicknesses of 30 nm were then fabricated via a modified Stöber method. When tested as microwave absorbers, bare Co7Fe3 nanospheres with a diameter of 350 nm have a maximum reflection loss (RL) of 78.4 dB and an effective absorption with RL > 10 dB from 10 to 16.7 GHz at a small thickness of 1.59 mm. Co7Fe3@SiO2 nanospheres showed a significantly enhanced microwave absorption capability for an effective absorption bandwidth and a shift toward a lower frequency, which is ascribed to the protection of the SiO2 shell from direct contact among Co7Fe3 nanospheres, as well as improved crystallinity and decreased defects upon annealing. This work illustrates a simple and effective method to fabricate Co7Fe3 and Co7Fe3@SiO2 nanospheres as promising microwave absorbers, and the design concept can also be extended to other ferromagnetic alloy particles.