Graphene-enhanced microwave absorption properties of Fe3O4/SiO2 nanorods

Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/graphene composite composed of Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core–shell nanorods and graphene nanosheets were synthesized by a facile wet chemical method. Structure and morphology studies reveal that the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ nanorods with porous structure and large aspect ratio are densely wrapped by the graphene nanosheets. By changing the graphene content, the electromagnetic properties of the Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/graphene composite can be well tuned. When the weight ratio of Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ to graphene reaches an appropriate value, excellent microwave absorption performance is achieved due to the large electromagnetic losses and good impedance matching. The Fe₃O₄/SiO₂/graphene composite with graphene content of 5 wt.% shows the minimum reflection loss of −27.1 dB at 12.2 GHz when the coating layer thickness is only 1.5 mm.     

Broad bandwidth of thin composite radar absorbing structures embedded with frequency selective surfaces

The three-layer ultrathin radar absorbing structure (RAS) involving a frequency selective surface (FSS) exhibiting excellent broad bandwidth properties is designed and fabricated. The EW and flaky carbonyl iron powders were used to produce two kinds of silicone rubber matrix magnetic composites for the top and the bottom layer, respectively. The electromagnetic parameters of the composites were measured in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The middle layer is an FSS in the form of double-square loops with four micro-split gaps in the middle of the outer loop. The results show that the proposed RAS can provide a 10 dB absorbing bandwidth of 13.2 GHz from 4.8 to 18 GHz (1.7 mm thickness) and a 10 dB absorbing bandwidth of 14.1 GHz from 3.9 to 18 GHz, covering C-band, X-band and Ku-band (2.0 mm thickness). A good match between simulation and measurement results demonstrates the validity of our design.     

3D architecture reduced graphene oxide-MoS2 composite: Preparation and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance

High-performance electromagnetic absorbers with wide absorption band, strong absorption and lightweight are necessary for industry and military application. To obtain the desired materials, two-dimensional (2D) atomic layers structure nanosheets, such as graphene and graphene-like, were adopted due to its unique structure and properties. Here, 3D architecture reduced graphene oxide-molybdenum disulfide (RGO-MoS₂) composite was prepared by one-pot hydrothermal reaction. MoS₂ generated on graphene oxide intercalation through hydrothermal process and rGO is obtained in the meanwhile. 3D architecture RGO-MoS₂ composite can effectively prevent two-dimensional nanosheets re-stacked and can be applied in electromagnetic wave absorption field. In this paper, composites consist of RGO and various MoS₂ were prepared and their electromagnetic performances were investigated for the first time. Maximum absorption bandwidth (R_L < −10 dB) is 5.92 GHz with thickness of 2.5 mm. We may reasonably conclude that RGO-MoS₂ composite can serve as excellent light-weight electromagnetic wave absorbers and can be widely used in practice.     

The effect of polymer spatial configuration on the microwave absorbing properties of non-covalent modified MWNTs

The polar polymer of linear and star polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used to modify the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). Raman and TGA were used to characterize structure of the functionalized MWNTs. The effect of polymer spatial configuration on the MWNTs dispersion, morphology and interfacial interaction was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The aim of the work is to investigate the effect of polymer spatial configuration on the microwave absorbing properties. The results showed that the maximum reflection loss of linear PMMA/MWNTs hybrids was −37 dB in the frequency of 8.8 GHz, and the bandwidth below −10 dB was more than 2.1 GHz. While the maximum reflection loss of the S-PMMA/MWNTs hybrids reached −50 dB in the frequency of 8.4 GHz, and the bandwidth below −10 dB was 2.3 GHz. The results indicated that the microwave absorbing properties of star PMMA polymers modified MWNTs were superior to that of linear PMMA polymers.     

Fabrication of polypyrrole/nano-exfoliated graphite composites by in situ intercalation polymerization and their microwave absorption properties

Polypyrrole/nano-exfoliated graphite composites were synthesized using an in situ intercalation polymerization of pyrrole into the layers of expanded graphites. The morphologies and nanostructures of obtained composites were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. Results showed that the in situ intercalation polymerization of pyrrole cation into the layers of expanded graphites could separate graphite into nano-exfoliated graphite sheets. The interactions between polypyrrole and the graphite sheet were also confirmed by Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The fabricated nanocomposites polypyrrole/nano-exfoliated graphite-1.5 showed obvious improvement in microwave absorption compared with those of the polypyrrole or the expanded graphite itself. With a thickness of 2.7 mm, the optimal absorption peak reached −48 dB at 13.4 GHz and the bandwidth corresponding to the reflection loss at −10 dB was 3.4 GHz (from 13.2 to 16.6 GHz). The minimum RL reached −34 dB with a thickness of 2.5 mm for Polypyrrole/nano-exfoliated graphite-1.5. Moreover, it could be observed that the absorption bandwidth with RL below −10 dB was obtained in the frequency range of 5–18 GHz for polypyrrole/nano-exfoliated graphite-1.5 with a thickness of 2–5 mm. This would open a path toward the fabrication of microwave absorption materials of light-weight.     

Preparation,characterization and microwave absorption properties of barium-ferrite-coated fly-ash cenospheres

Magnetic composites of barium ferrite coated on fly-ash cenospheres (BFACs) were prepared by sol–gel auto-combustion method. To promote surface activity, we modified fly-ash cenospheres (FACs) surfaces using γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) as coupling agent and silver nitrate as activating agent before coating barium ferrite films on FACs. The morphology, composition, crystal structure, magnetic and microwave absorption properties of these composite powders were characterized by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometer, and vector network analyzer. Continuous and uniform coatings of barium ferrite were found on the surfaces of the FACs. The BFACs powders-epoxy composite possesses excellent microwave absorption properties in the 2–18 GHz frequency range. The maximum microwave reflection loss reaches ?15.4 dB at 8.4 GHz with a thickness of 3.0 mm, and the widest bandwidth less than ?12 dB is 6.2 GHz with a sample thickness of 2.0 mm. The intrinsic reasons for microwave absorption were also investigated. Applications of this composite material in magnetic recording, electromagnetic wave shielding, and lightweight microwave-absorbing fields are promising.     

High-temperature dielectric and electromagnetic interference shielding properties of SiCf/SiC composites using Ti3SiC2 as inert filler

Ti₃SiC₂ filler has been introduced into SiC_f/SiC composites by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process to optimize the dielectric properties for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications in the temperatures of 25–600 °C at 8.2–12.4 GHz. Results indicate that the flexural strength of SiC_f/SiC composites is improved from 217 MPa to 295 MPa after incorporating the filler. Both the complex permittivity and tan δ of the composites show obvious temperature-dependent behavior and increase with the increasing temperatures. The absorption, reflection and total shielding effectiveness of the composites with Ti₃SiC₂ filler are enhanced from 13 dB, 7 dB and 20 dB to 24 dB, 21 dB and 45 dB respectively with the temperatures increase from 25 °C to 600 °C. The mechanisms for the corresponding enhancements are also proposed. The superior absorption shielding effectiveness is the dominant EMI shielding mechanism. The optimized EMI shielding properties suggest their potentials for the future shielding applications at temperatures from 25 °C to 600 °C.     

Surfactant-free synthesis and electromagnetic properties of Co–Ni–B composite particles

The Co–Ni–B composite particles with different mol ratio of Co to Ni were composited of spheres, spheres in-pair, hierarchical assemblies of dentrites, which were surfactant-free synthesized by chemical reduction method in aqueous solution. The complex permeability of the Co–Ni–B composite particles indicated reverse resonant peak at the frequency range of 8–16 GHz, where the complex permittivity showed the positive resonant peak and the μ_r″ of particles showed negative values, caused by the transformation between electric and magnetic energy. The imaginary parts of relative permeability (μ_r″) of Co–Ni–B composite particles indicated one broad resonant peak over the 2–8 GHz range for the high effective anisotropy. A slight decrease in complex permittivity resulted in an excellent impedance matching property. The Co–Ni–B composite alloy particles with mol ratio of 7:3 exhibited reflection loss less than ?20 dB in frequency range of 4.0–14.5 GHz for the absorber thickness of 1.1–3.2 mm, and an optimal RL of ?32.4 dB was obtained at 12.8 GHz with thickness of 1.2 mm. The broadest bandwidth of reflection loss less than ?10 dB from 13.0 to 17.0 GHz, covering almost the whole Ku-band, was obtained for a thickness of 1.1 mm layer.     

Microwave absorbing behavior of metal dispersed TiO2 nanocomposites

Metal dispersed TiO₂ nanocomposites were prepared by milling process. The microwave absorbing characteristics of the prepared nanocomposites with epoxy were studied in the 8.2–12.4 GHz frequency range for the microwave absorption application. The measured relative complex permittivity of metal dispersed nanocomposite-epoxy indicates higher values in comparison to the pure TiO₂-epoxy nanocomposite. The Reflection loss (RL) values were calculated for thickness from 0.1 to 2.2 mm with an interval of 0.1 mm and the maximum value of RL found for TiO₂-epoxy nanocomposite was −4.96 dB at 10.21 GHz frequency for 2.0 mm thickness. Whereas, RL value is improved to a maximum value of −13.67 dB at 10.13 GHz with Al dispersion (1.8 mm thickness) and −7.24 dB at 10.38 GHz with Ni dispersion (1.3 mm thickness). This study suggests the effectiveness metal particles dispersion for the development of thin microwave absorbers as well as increasing the level of RL.     

Porous composites coated with hybrid nano carbon materials perform excellent electromagnetic interference shielding

This work reported preparation of porous composites using a simple dip-coating method, and the fabricated composites containing hybrid carbon nanomaterials performed excellent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. A commercial sponge was coated with silver nanoparticles before being dip-coated with graphene (GP)/ink, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/ink, or hybrid GP/MWCNTs/ink to form Ag/carbon nanomaterial hybrid composites, and then the composites were subjected to EMI measurements in the frequency range of 0.45–1.5 GHz. For comparison, the sponges without Ag nanoparticle coating were also prepared. Herein, we found an insignificant difference in EMI SE among the porous composites without Ag nanoparticle coating, and the maximum values of approximately 14.4 dB was attained. Interestingly, the hybrid composites with Ag nanoparticle coating exhibited maximum EMI shielding of 24.33 dB. Due to their porous structure, the EMI SE measurements showed that reflection dominates the EMI SE for all the sponge composites studied in this work.     

Reduced graphene oxide deposited carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites for electromagnetic interference shielding

Reduced graphene oxide deposited carbon fiber (rGO-CF) was prepared by introducing GO onto CF surface through electrophoretic deposition method, following by reducing the GO sheets on CF with NaBH₄ solution. The rGO-CF was found to be more effective than CF to improve the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding property of unsaturated polyester (UP) based composites. With 0.75% mass fraction of rGO-CF, the shielding effectiveness of the composite reached 37.8 dB at the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz (x-band), which had 16.3% increase than that of CF/UP composite (32.5 dB) in the same fiber mass fraction. The results suggest that rGO-CF is a good candidate for the use as a light-weight EMI shielding material.     

Double-layer microwave absorber based on nanocrystalline Zn0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4/α-Fe microfibers

The microwave absorption properties of the nanocrystalline NiZn ferrite (Zn_0.5Ni_0.5Fe₂O₄) and iron (α-Fe) microfibers with single-layer and double-layer structures were investigated in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. The double-layer absorbers have much better microwave absorption properties than the single-layer absorbers, and the microwave absorption properties of the double-layer structure are influenced by the coupling interactions between the absorbing layer and matching layer. With the absorbing layer thickness 0.7 mm of α-Fe microfibers–wax composite and the matching layer thickness 1.5 mm of Zn_0.5Ni_0.5Fe₂O₄ microfibers–wax composite, the minimum reflection loss (RL) reaches about −71 dB at 16.2 GHz and the absorption band width is about 9.2 GHz ranging from 8.8 to 18 GHz with the RL value exceeding −10 dB. While, when the absorbing layer is the Zn_0.5Ni_0.5Fe₂O₄ microfibers–wax composite with thickness 1.8 mm and the matching layer is the α-Fe microfibers–wax composite with thickness 0.2 mm, the RL value achieves the minimum about −73 dB at 13.8 GHz and the absorption band width is about 10.2 GHz ranging from 7.8 to 18 GHz with the RL value exceeding −10 dB, which covers the whole X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) and K_u-band (12.4–18 GHz).     

Study on thermal properties of graphene foam/graphene sheets filled polymer composites

The polymer composites composed of graphene foam (GF), graphene sheets (GSs) and pliable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were fabricated and their thermal properties were investigated. Due to the unique interconnected structure of GF, the thermal conductivity of GF/PDMS composite reaches 0.56 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, which is about 300% that of pure PDMS, and 20% higher than that of GS/PDMS composite with the same graphene loading of 0.7 wt%. Its coefficient of thermal expansion is (80–137) × 10⁻⁶/K within 25–150 °C, much lower than those of GS/PDMS composite and pure PDMS. In addition, it also shows superior thermal and dimensional stability. All above results demonstrate that the GF/PDMS composite is a good candidate for thermal interface materials, which could be applied in the thermal management of electronic devices, etc.     

High thermal conductivity of flexible polymer composites due to synergistic effect of multilayer graphene flakes and graphene foam

Research on flexible thermal interface materials (TIMs) has shown that the interconnected network of graphene foam (GF) offers effective paths of heat transportation. In this work, a variant amount of multilayer graphene flakes (MGFs) was added into 0.2 vol% GF/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. A remarkable synergistic effect between MGF and GF in improving thermal conductivity of polymer composites is achieved. With 2.7 vol% MGFs, the thermal conductivity of MGF/GF/PDMS composite reaches 1.08 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹, which is 80%, 184% and 440% higher than that of 2.7 vol% MGF/PDMS, GF/PDMS composites and pure PDMS, respectively. The MGF/GF/PDMS composite also shows superior thermal stability. The addition of MGFs and GF decreases slightly the elongation at break, but observably increases the Young’s modulus and tensile strength of composites compared with pure PDMS. The good performance of MGF/GF/PDMS composite makes it a good TIM for possible application in thermal management of electronics.     

Highly thermally conductive POSS-g-SiCp/UHMWPE composites with excellent dielectric properties and thermal stabilities

Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane grafting thermally conductive silicon carbide particle (POSS-g-SiCp) fillers, are performed to fabricate highly thermally conductive ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites combining with optimal dielectric properties and excellent thermal stabilities, via mechanical ball milling followed by hot-pressing method. The POSS-g-SiCp/UHMWPE composite with 40 wt% POSS-g-SiCp exhibits relative higher thermal conductivity, lower dielectric constant and more excellent thermal stability, the corresponding thermally conductive coefficient of 1.135 W/mK, the dielectric constant of 3.22, and the 5 wt% thermal weight loss temperature of 423 °C, which holds potential for packaging and thermal management in microelectronic devices. Agari’s semi-empirical model fitting reveals POSS-g-SiCp fillers have strong ability to form continuous thermally conductive networks.     

Low temperature charge transport and microwave absorption of carbon coated iron nanoparticles–polymer composite films

In this paper, the low temperature electrical conductivity and microwave absorption properties of carbon coated iron nanoparticles–polyvinyl chloride composite films are investigated for different filler fractions. The filler particles are prepared by the pyrolysis of ferrocene at 980 °C and embedded in polyvinyl chloride matrix. The high resolution transmission electron micrographs of the filler material have shown a 5 nm thin layer graphitic carbon covering over iron particles. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the composite film changes by 10 orders of magnitude with the increase of filler concentration. A percolation threshold of 2.2 and an electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency (EMI SE) of ～18.6 dB in 26.5–40 GHz range are observed for 50 wt% loading. The charge transport follows three dimensional variable range hopping conduction.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al–TiC metal matrix composite obtained by reactive synthesis

A metal matrix composite has been obtained by a novel synthesis route, reacting Al₃Ti and graphite at 1000 °C for about 1 min after ball-milling and compaction. The resulting composite is made of an aluminium matrix reinforced by nanometer sized TiC particles (average diameter 70 nm). The average TiC/Al ratio is 34.6 wt.% (22.3 vol.%). The microstructure consists of an intimate mixture of two domains, an unreinforced domain made of the Al solid solution with a low TiC reinforcement content, and a reinforced domain. This composite exhibits uncommon mechanical properties with regard to previous micrometer sized Al–TiC composites and to its high reinforcement volume fraction, with a Young’s modulus of ∼110 GPa, an ultimate tensile strength of about 500 MPa and a maximum elongation of 6%.     

Fe3O4/carbon composite nanofiber absorber with enhanced microwave absorption performance

Fe₃O₄/carbon composite nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/acetyl acetone iron (AAI)/dimethyl formamide (DMF) solution, followed by stabilization and carbonization. SEM and TEM observations reveal that the fibers are lengthy and uniform, and are loaded with well-distributed Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, which are evidenced by XRD. Electrical and magnetic properties of the samples were studied to show the effect of enhancement of electrical conductivity and magnetic hysteresis performance. Finally, the permittivity and permeability parameters were measured by a vector network analyzer, and the reflectivity loss was calculated based on Transmission Line Theory. Results show that Fe₃O₄/C composite nanofibers exhibit enhanced properties of microwave absorption as compared to those of pure carbon nanofibers by: decreasing reflectivity loss values; widening absorption width and improving performance in low frequency (2–5 GHz) absorption. Absorption properties can be tuned by changing AAI content, carbonization temperature, composite fiber/paraffin ratio and coating thickness. It is shown that with coating thickness of 5 mm and fiber/paraffin ratio of 5 wt.%, the bandwidth for reflection loss under ?5 dB can reach a maximum of 12–13 GHz in the range of 2–18 GHz, accompanying with a minimum reflection loss of ?40 to ?45 dB, and preferred low frequency band absorption can also be obtained. The mechanisms for the enhanced absorption performance were briefly discussed. It is supposed that this kind of composite material is promising for resolving the problems of weak absorption in the low frequency range and narrow bandwidth absorption.     

Graphene sheets segregated by barium titanate for polyvinylidene fluoride composites with high dielectric constant and ultralow loss tangent

In this paper, we report a unique method to develop polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites with high dielectric constant and low loss tangent by loading relatively low content of graphene-encapsulated barium titanate (BT) hybrid fillers. BT particles encapsulated with graphene oxide (BT-GO) were prepared via electrostatic self-assembly and subsequent chemical reduction resulted in BT-RGO particles. SEM morphology revealed that RGO sheets were segregated by BT particles. The hybrid fillers have two advantages for tuning dielectric properties: loading extremely low content of RGO can be exactly controlled and individual RGO sheets segregated by BT particles would prevent leakage current. As a result, PVDF composites filled with BT-RGO displayed improved dielectric properties before percolative behavior occurred. Composites filled with 30 vol% BT-RGO have a dielectric constant and loss tangent (tan δ) value of 67.5 and 0.060 (1 kHz), respectively. By contrast, dielectric constant and tan δ of composites filled with 30 vol% BT-GO and BT were 57.7 and 38.3, 0.076 and 0.042 (1 kHz), respectively. The improvement of dielectric constant is attributable to the formation of microcapacitors by highly conductive RGO sheets segregated by BT particles. Meanwhile, the distance between adjacent RGO sheets is large enough to prevent leakage current from tunneling conductance, by which tan δ is remarkably constrained. The composites could achieve excellent dielectric properties by loading relatively low amount of ceramic fillers, which indicates that this method can be used as guideline for reduce the usage amount of ceramic fillers.     

Structure and microwave dielectric characteristics of lithium-excess Ca0.6Nd0.8/3TiO3/(Li0.5Nd0.5)TiO3 ceramics

Compositions based on (1−x)Ca_0.6Nd_8/3TiO₃−x(Li_1/2Nd_1/2)TiO₃ + yLi (CNLNTx + yLi, x = 0.30–0.60, y = 0–0.05), suitable for microwave applications have been developed by systematically adding excess lithium in order to tune the microwave dielectric properties and lower sintering temperature. Addition of 0.03 excess-Li simultaneously reduced the sintering temperature and improved the relative density of sintered CNLNTx ceramics. The excess Li addition can compensate the evaporation of Li during sintering process and decrease the secondary phase content. The CNLNTx (x = 0.45) ceramics with 0.03 Li excess sintered at 1190 °C have single phase orthorhombic perovskite structure, together with the optimum combination of microwave dielectric properties of ɛ_r = 129, Q × f = 3600 GHz, τ_f = 38 ppm/°C. Obviously, excess-Li addition can efficiently decrease the sintering temperature and improve the microwave dielectric properties. The high permittivity and relatively low sintering temperatures of lithium-excess Ca_0.6Nd_0.8/3TiO₃/(Li_0.5Nd_0.5)TiO₃ ceramics are ideal for the development of low cost ultra-small dielectric loaded antenna.