Continuous growth of carbon nanotubes on the surface of carbon fibers for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption properties

As electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution has become a serious problem in daily life, lightweight, efficient, and mass-produced EMW-absorbing materials are urgently needed. Herein, we developed a novel method for the continuous growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fibers (CFs) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which can be applied to mass production. The obtained CF/CNT composites demonstrate outstanding EMW absorption capability, exhibiting a -58.75 dB reflection loss (RL) at a thickness of 1.54 mm. An effective absorption bandwidth (RL < -10 dB) of 4.24 GHz (13.76–18.00 GHz) was achieved at a thickness as low as 1.25 mm, which almost covers the entire Ku band. The excellent EMW-absorbing performance can be attributed to the 3D conductive network constructed by the CNT forest, which effectively promotes multiple reflections and scattering, and further favors dipole and interface polarizations. The mechanical properties of CF, CF-electrochemical anodic oxidation (EAO), and CF/CNT composites were examined, the results showed that the single-filament tensile strength of CF/CNT@0.07 and CF/CNT@0.09 was effectively improved. Our work suggests that the novel CF/CNT composite is a promising material for EMW absorption and strength enhancement owing to its light weight, high strength, low thickness, and good scale-up ability.     

Influences of mullite fibers on mechanical and thermal properties of silica-based ceramic cores

Mullite fibers composite silica-based ceramic cores were successfully prepared by injection molding. The effects of mullite fibers on the mechanical and thermal properties of ceramic cores were investigated. The results indicated that the linear shrinkage was significantly decreased and the porosity was gradually increased with the increase of mullite fibers. In addition, the flexural strength for the room temperature and the simulated casting temperature of 1500°C was increased to a maximum value when the content of mullite fibers was about 1 wt.%, and then decreased with the increase of mullite fibers. The mullite fibers of 1 wt.% presented excellent mechanical properties with a linear shrinkage of .65%, a porosity of 6.96%, and a flexural strength of 17 MPa at room temperature and 34.83 MPa at the simulated casting temperature of 1500°C. Besides, the change in microstructure and properties in various contents of mullite fibers were analyzed.     

Cu2O@nanoporous carbon composites derived from Cu-based MOFs with ultrabroad-bandwidth electromagnetic wave absorbing performance

The application of carbon-based materials in microwave absorption (MA) field are limited due to the impedance mismatch caused by high permittivity and low permeability. In this work, Cu₂O@nanoporous carbon (Cu₂O@NPC) composites derived from Cu-based MOFs are synthesized using a simple method. Variation of C and Cu₂O contents in Cu₂O@NPC allows the regulation of permittivity and permeability, resulting in superior ultrabroad-bandwidth absorptivity. The maximum reflection loss (RL) of Cu₂O@NPC-4 is up to ?31.1 dB at 5.6 GHz, while the effective bandwidth (RL ≤ ?10 dB) can reach 7.3 GHz (10.7–18 GHz) with a matching thickness of 1.85 mm. The results of this study open a new opportunity for solving the impedance mismatch of C-based materials and obtain ultrabroad effective bandwidth.     

Effect of polycrystalline mullite fibers on the properties of vitrified bond and vitrified CBN composites

The effect of polycrystalline mullite fibers (PMFs) on the properties of vitreous bonds and vitrified CBN composites was investigated. The results show that the addition of PMFs can increase the porosity of composites and reduce the fluidity of binders. The vitrified composites incorporating 6.4 wt% PMFs display excellent mechanical strength, which is enhanced by 21.2% compared with that of composites without PMFs sintered at the optimal sintering temperature. Meanwhile the thermal expansion coefficient of vitrified bond reduces from 6.256×10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ to 4.805×10⁻⁶ °C⁻¹ with increasing fraction of PMFs. The improvement of mechanical strength is associated with the change of cracking mechanisms of the composites with fibrous crystals and the existence of several observed mechanisms, including fiber pull-out, fiber bridging and rupture.     

Electrospun magnetic carbon composite fibers: Synthesis and electromagnetic wave absorption characteristics

Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐based carbon composite fibers embedded with magnetic nanoparticles have been developed as materials for electromagnetic wave absorption. The nanocomposite fibers were prepared by electrospinning from a dispersion of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles stabilized by L ‐glutamic acid in a solution of PAN and N, N‐dimethyl formamide. The Fe₃O₄‐embedded PAN nanofibers were stabilized at 270°C in air and carbonized at 800°C in nitrogen. The Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were crystalline with a particle size of about 7 nm, most of which was reduced to Fe₃C with agglomerates of up to 50 nm diameter in the carbon fibers. The carbon morphology was mostly disordered, but exhibited a layered graphitic structure in the vicinity of the nanoparticles. The carbon composite fiber exhibited ferromagnetic behavior, and the induced magnetic saturation per unit mass of fibers increased with increasing Fe₃O₄ content in the precursor. The complex relative dielectric permittivity was tuned by adjusting the amount of Fe₃O₄ in the carbon fiber precursor. With increasing Fe₃O₄ content, good electromagnetic wave absorption characteristics were observed below 6 GHz, even for samples with fiber loadings as low as 5 wt %. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Fabrication of Ni/ZnO/C hollow microspheres decorated graphene composites towards high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption in the Ku-band

Developing light-weight, thin thickness and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers is an effective strategy for dealing with the increasingly serious problem of electromagnetic radiation pollution. Herein, nickel/zinc oxide/carbon (Ni/ZnO/C) hollow microspheres decorated graphene composites were facilely prepared through the high-temperature pyrolysis of bimetallic NiZn metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) precursors. Morphological characterization results manifested that the Ni/ZnO/C microspheres with unique hollow structure were almost evenly anchored on the wrinkled surfaces of flake-like graphene. Moreover, the influences of additive amounts of graphene oxide (GO) in the MOFs precursors on the crystal structure, graphitization degree, micromorphology, magnetic properties, electromagnetic parameters and EMW absorption performance were investigated in detail. It was found that the superior EMW absorption performance could be achieved through facilely adjusting the additive amounts of GO in the precursors. As the additive amount of GO was equal to 60 mg, the obtained composite showed the comprehensive excellent EMW absorption performance. Notably, the optimal minimum reflection loss reached ?57.5 dB at 16.5 GHz in the Ku-band under an ultrathin matching thickness of merely 1.34 mm, and the broadest effective absorption bandwidth achieved 5.6 GHz (from 12.4 to 18 GHz) when the thickness was 1.5 mm. Furthermore, the underlying EMW absorption mechanisms of as-prepared composites were revealed. It was believed that our results could be valuable for the structural design and EMW absorption performance modulation for MOFs derived magnetic carbon composites.     

In-situ growth of bamboo-shaped carbon nanotubes and helical carbon nanofibers on Ti3C2Tx MXene at ultra-low temperature for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption properties

The potential of two-dimensional layered MXenes in electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption needs further development. Herein, we carried out the in situ growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the surface of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene at ultra-low temperature via chemical vapor deposition. The obtained CNTs exhibited a bamboo-like structure and were accompanied by helical carbon nanofibers. The ultra-low temperature solved the problem that the high temperature required in the traditional CNT growth process would destroy the structural integrity of MXene. The lush CNT forest cross-linked the MXene layers, transforming the two-dimensional layered structure into a three-dimensional conductive network, providing abundant conductive channels for carriers, optimizing the impedance matching of the CNT/MXene hybrid, and resulting in a significant dielectric loss. The as-prepared CNT/MXene hybrid exhibited a minimal reflection loss of ?52.56 dB (99.9994% EMW absorption) in the X-band. This work proposes a new idea to enhance the EMW absorption properties of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene and fabricate high-performance MXene-based EMW absorbers.     

Development of mullite fibers and novel zirconia-toughened mullite fibers for high temperature applications

Polycrystalline mullite fibers and novel zirconia-toughened mullite (ZTM) fibers with average diameters between 9.7 and 10.3 μm containing 3, 7 and 15 wt.-% tetragonal ZrO₂ (ZTM3, ZTM7, ZTM15) in the final ceramic were prepared via dry spinning followed by continuous calcination and sintering in air. A shift in the formation of transient alumina phases and tetragonal ZrO₂ to higher temperatures with increasing amounts of ZrO₂ was observed. Concomitantly, the mullite formation temperature was lowered to 1229 °C for ZTM15 fibers. X-ray diffraction revealed formation of the desired tetragonal crystal structure of ZrO₂ directly from the amorphous precursor. Room temperature Weibull strengths of 1320, 1390 and 1740 MPa and Weibull moduli of 9.5, 7.1 and 9.0 were determined for mullite, ZTM3 and ZTM15 fibers, respectively. Average Young’s moduli ranged from 190 to 220 GPa. SEM images revealed crack-free fiber surfaces and compact microstructures independent of the amount of ZrO₂.     

氧化石墨烯对SiO2多孔陶瓷吸波性能的影响

采用颗粒堆积法,以石英砂为骨料,甲基纤维素为黏结剂干压成型后,在1300℃保温1 h烧结制备得到SiO₂多孔陶瓷样品。通过对样品吸波性能的测试,发现样品的吸波带较宽达到9 GHz,反射率约-3 dB。经过浸渍氧化石墨烯后,样品的吸波性能发生较大改变。在氧化石墨烯质量分数为0.004%时,由于氧化石墨烯的涡流损耗,样品的吸波性能较纯SiO₂多孔陶瓷样品的吸波性能提高75%,反射率达到-5 dB。过量的氧化石墨烯使多孔陶瓷样品呈现出对电磁波的全反射。     

Borate treatment of carbon fibers and carbon/carbon composites for improved oxidation resistance

Carbon fibers and carbon/carbon composites have been treated with borate additives and then cured at 500–600°C to produce a continuous film of boron oxide on all exposed surfaces.This treatment has been found to be highly effective in retarding oxidation of the carbonaceous substrate for extended periods in flowing air at temperatures up to 1000°C. At higher temperatures, and in the presence of water vapor, borate species were appreciably volatile and the oxidation protection provided by the coatings was less effective.     

Facile synthesis of thin coating C/ZnO composites with strong electromagnetic wave absorption

C/ZnO composites with increased electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing features have been synthesized through a simple one-pot hydrothermal process and subsequent high temperature carbonization under the protection of argon. The results depict that the maximum absorption of C/ZnO composites synthesized with the optimal molar ratio of zinc acetate to glucose is ?50.43?dB at 15.77?GHz. The 1.16-mm-thick coating shows a wide effective absorption bandwidth (3.52?GHz) of EM wave (RL≤?10?dB). The thin coating thickness of the C/ZnO composites is desirable for decreasing the absorber weight in EM wave absorption. And there are no other reagents used throughout the synthesis process except for the green glucose and zinc acetate. Thus, C/ZnO composites would be highly promising lightweight EM wave absorbing materials.     

High-temperature electromagnetic wave absorption properties of Cf/SiCNFs/Si3N4 composites

Carbon fibers reinforced Si₃N₄ composites with SiC nanofiber interphase (C_f/SiCNFs/Si₃N₄) were prepared by combining catalysis chemical vapor deposition and gel-casting process. Microstructures, mechanical properties, and electromagnetic wave absorption properties within X-band at 25°C-800°C of C_f/SiCNFs/Si₃N₄ composites were investigated. Results show that SiC nanofibers are combined well with Si₃N₄ matrix and carbon fibers, the fracture toughness is thus increased more than double from 3.51 MPa·m^1/2 of the Si₃N₄ ceramic to 7.23 MPa·m^1/2 of the as-prepared composites. As the temperature increases from 25°C to 800°C, C_f/SiCNFs/Si₃N₄ composites show a temperature-dependent complex permittivity, attenuation constant, and impedance. The relatively high attenuation capability of C_f/SiCNFs/Si₃N₄ composites at elevated temperature results in a great minimum reflection loss of −20.3 dB at 800°C with a thin thickness of 2.0 mm. The superior electromagnetic wave absorption performance mainly originates from conductive loss, multi-reflection, and strong polarization formed by the combined effects of carbon fibers and SiC nanofibers.     

Synthesis of CoNi/SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide nanosheets for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption properties

In this research, the nanocomposites, CoNi/SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles decorated reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets, are successfully synthesized via liquid-phase reduction reactions combined with a sol-gel route. The structures, morphologies, chemical composition and magnetic properties of CoNi nanoparticles, CoNi/SiO₂ core-shell nanoparticles and RGO/CoNi/SiO₂ nanocomposites have been investigated in exhaustive detail. The electromagnetic (EM) parameters of RGO/CoNi/SiO₂ nanocomposites are measured using a vector network analyzer. The results reveal that the RGO/CoNi/SiO₂ nanocomposites display enhanced EM wave absorption properties with the maximum reflection loss (R_L) of ??46.3?dB at 6.2?GHz with a matching thickness of 4.2?mm. Additionally, the absorption bandwidth corresponding to the R_L less than ??10?dB is up to 14.3?GHz (3.7–18.0?GHz) with a matching thickness range of 2.0–5.0?mm. To comprehensively consider the absorption bandwidth and the maximum R_L, the integrational method which defines ΔS as the integration area of R_L (R_L < ??10?dB) and R_E as EM wave absorption efficiency is adopted to reveal that the RGO/CoNi/SiO₂ nanocomposites exhibit the excellent absorption properties with the matching thickness of only 2.0?mm. Accordingly, the as-prepared RGO/CoNi/SiO₂ nanocomposites could be applied as promising EM wave absorption materials.     

Dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave transmission performance of polycrystalline mullite fiberboard at 2.45 GHz

Refractory lining is an indispensable part of high temperature microwave heating equipment, and its wave transmission performance exerts an important impact on the mode and efficiency of microwave heating, while the complex dielectric constant (dielectric constant and dielectric loss) of the material is the decisive factor in determining the wave transmission performance of the material. In this work, we measured the complex dielectric constant of polycrystalline mullite fiber board (PMF) in the temperature range of 25–1000 °C, and the effect of temperature on dielectric constant and dielectric loss was analyzed; The wave-transmission properties of the material were calculated according to the theory of electromagnetic wave transmission line, and the effects of temperature, material thickness, polarization modes of electromagnetic wave and incident angle on the wave transmission performance were analyzed. The results reveal that the dielectric constant of PMF does not change much with the increase of temperature, which is about 1.6; The dielectric loss does not change much within 200 °C, but when the temperature is higher than 200 °C, the change presents approximately exponential increase with the rise of temperature. The wave transmission performance fluctuates with the increase of the thickness, and there are maximum value and minimum value, and the overall wave transmission performance decreases with the increase of the material thickness. In a transverse electric (TE) field, the overall wave transmission performance decreases with the increase of the incident angle, and better wave transmission performance can be obtained by priority selection of vertical incidence of electromagnetic wave. In a transverse magnetic (TM) field, with the increase in the incident angle, the wave transmission performance firstly climbs up then declines, and there is an optimal incident angle where total transmission can occur. Finally, this work selected the thickness corresponding to different temperature as the preferred thickness. This work is of important theoretical significance for understanding the mechanism of the dynamic change of the wave transmission performance of the thermal insulation materials in microwave heating, and provides important practical guidance for the design and optimization of microwave heating equipment.     

Porous magnetic carbon nanofibers (P-CNF/Fe) for low-frequency electromagnetic wave absorption synthesized by electrospinning

The recent criteria to evaluate electromagnetic wave absorber include low density, strong absorbency, wide absorption bandwidth and thin absorber thickness, but its performance at low frequencies is always ignored. In this paper, the porous magnetic carbon nanofibers (P-CNF/Fe) for high-efficient electromagnetic wave absorption at low frequencies were fabricated by electrospinning followed by stabilization and carbonization. With the introduction of porous nanostructure, the permittivity of carbon nanofibers was decreased at low frequency and the impedance matching of permittivity and permeability was realized. The electromagnetic absorbing properties were investigated in detail. The minimum reflection coefficient reaches ?44.86?dB at 4.42?GHz, and the widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) in the frequency was 3.28 range from 12.96 to 16.24?GHz. Consequently, considering the EM wave absorption performance, P-CNF/Fe synthesized in this work can be a promising candidate in the field of EM wave attenuation.     

Facile synthesis of a novel flower-like BiFeO3 microspheres/graphene with superior electromagnetic wave absorption performances

In recent years, porous or layered magnetic materials have received increasing attention due to their low density and lightweight. In this work, porous BiFeO₃ microspheres and three-dimensional porous BiFeO₃ microsphere-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite (3D porous BiFeO₃/RGO) were prepared by one-step etching processing using pure BiFeO₃ particles as precursors. The precursor undergoes dissolution-recrystallization/reduction process, resulting in large amount of BiFeO₃ fragments and graphene hybrid product, which forms 3D porous BiFeO₃/RGO composite. Electromagnetic (EM) absorption performance measurements exhibit that at low thickness of 1.8?mm, porous BiFeO₃/RGO composite can achieve reflection loss (R_L) value up to ?46.7?dB and absorption bandwidth (defined by R_L <?10?dB) exceeding 4.7?GHz (from 12.0 to 16.7?GHz), testifying outstanding microwave absorbing performance. Compared with pure porous BiFeO₃, improved EM wave absorption ability of as-prepared porous BiFeO₃/RGO composite is attributed to interfacial polarization, multiple reflections, scattering, and appropriate impedance matching.     

Fabrication of carbon-doped ZnCo2O4 yolk-shell microspheres compounded with magnetic graphene for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption performance

Carbon-doped ZnCo₂O₄ (ZnCo₂O₄/C) yolk-shell microspheres are synthesized by a method of thermally decomposing precursor and then successfully compounded with magnetic graphene (MG) via co-precipitation in combination with a reduction pathway. The fabrication processes and characterizations (XRD, XPS, TEM, EDS and SEM) are described and explained in detail. It is confirmed that amorphous carbon (in situ decomposition from PVP) is uniformly doped into ZnCo₂O₄ yolk-shell microspheres. In addition, the reflection loss (RL) and electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption mechanisms of as-prepared ZnCo₂O₄/C/MG composites are calculated and analyzed exhaustively. The results show that absorption bandwidth with RL exceeding −10 dB reaches up to 4.48 GHz with a matching thickness of 3.5 mm while the maximum RL is up to −52.9 dB at 7.52 GHz with a matching thickness of 3.9 mm. Enhanced EM wave absorption performance can be attributed to good dielectric and magnetic loss, excellent impedance matching, diverse interfacial polarization and multiple reflections caused by special structures.     

Microstructure and electromagnetic wave absorption property of reduced graphene oxide-SiCnw/SiBCN composite ceramics

In this account, RGO-SiC_nw/SiBCN composite ceramics were fabricated using polymer derived ceramic (PDC) combined with chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) technology. Dielectric property of as-obtained RGO-SiC_nw/SiBCN composite ceramics was significantly enhanced thanks to established conductive pathway through overlapped nanoscale SiC_nw and micro-sized RGO. The minimum RC of composite ceramics with 0.5 wt% GO and 2.29 wt% SiC_nw at thickness of 3.6 mm reached -42.02 dB with corresponding effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 4.2 GHz. As temperature rose from 25 to 400 °C, permittivity increased with enhanced charge carrier density and then it decreased due to oxidation process of RGO from 400 to 600 °C. The minimum reflection coefficient (RC) was recorded as -39.13 dB and EAB covered the entire X-band at 600 °C. EMW absorption ability was evaluated after high-temperature oxidation experiment under protective effect of wave-transparent Si₃N₄ coating. RGO-SiC_nw/SiBCN composite ceramics maintained outstanding EMW absorption ability with minimum RC of -10.41 dB after oxidation at 900 °C, indicating RGO-SiC_nw/SiBCN composite ceramics with excellent EMW absorption characteristic even at high temperatures and harsh environments.     

Constructing hierarchical Ti3SiC2 layer and carbon nanotubes on SiC fibers for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption

To enhance the absorption performance of silicon carbide fiber (SiC_f), hybrid fibers with a double shell structure (Ti₃SiC₂ and carbon nanotubes (CNTs)) on the SiC_f (CNT@Ti₃SiC₂@SiC_f) were successfully synthesized by the combination of molten salt method and floating catalytic chemical vapor deposition. A series of 10% weight fraction fibers reinforced paraffin samples was prepared to study the double coating influences on the electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performances. Coated by Ti₃SiC₂ and CNTs, the dielectric permittivity of hybrid fibers could be modulated in a quite wide range. The CNT@Ti₃SiC₂@SiC_f with a thickness of 3.8 mm showed a minimum reflection loss value of ?53 dB at 6.57 GHz, and the CNT@Ti₃SiC₂@SiC_f with a thickness of 2.5 mm presented a wide effective absorption bandwidth of 5.6 GHz (from 9 to 14.6 GHz). The highly improved EMW absorption performance of CNT@Ti₃SiC₂@SiC_f was attributed to the combination of conductive loss and dielectric loss aroused by interfaces. The excellent absorption performance provided the modified SiC_f with a high potential in the application of EMW absorbers.     

Enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption of Fe-doped silicon oxycarbide nanocomposites

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs), such as SiOC, SiCN, SiBCN, and SiC are considered the best candidates for designing high-performance microwave absorber due to their controllable structure, homogeneous element composition at atom level, tunable electromagnetic and electrochemical properties. Herein, Fe ions doped silicon oxycarbide (Fe ions-SiOC) ceramics have been successfully fabricated via solvothermal method. The electromagnetic absorption performances of the nanocomposites prove to be controllable via tailoring Fe ion contents. The Fe ions effectively enhance both the interfacial polarization of amorphous SiOC, and the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites but barely effect magnetic properties of the nanocomposite. As for 0.16 mol/L-SiOC ceramics annealed at 1450°C, the effective absorption bandwidth as high as 2.00 GHz and reflection loss of −59.60 dB at 5.40 GHz with the thickness of 4.55 mm are obtained. Such work opens up a novel and simple route to scale up the PDC-based materials with broadband and excellent microwave absorbing performances.