Enhancement of the microwave absorption properties of PyC-SiCf/SiC composites by electrophoretic deposition of SiC nanowires on SiC fibers

The employment of coating technique on the silicon carbide fibers plays a pivotal role in preparing SiC fiber-reinforced SiC composites (SiC_f/SiC) toward electromagnetic wave absorption applications. In this work, SiC nanowires (SiCNWs) are successfully deposited onto the pyrolytic carbon (PyC) coated SiC fibers by an electrophoretic deposition method, and subsequently densified by chemical vapor infiltration to obtain SiCNWs/PyC-SiC_f/SiC composites. The results reveal that the introduction of SiCNWs could markedly enhance the microwave absorption properties of PyC-SiC_f/SiC composites. Owing to the increasing of SiCNWs loading, the minimum reflection loss of composites raises up to −58.5 dB in the SiCNWs/PyC-SiC_f/SiC composites with an effective absorption bandwidth (reflection loss ≤ −10 dB) of 6.13 GHz. The remarkable enhancement of electromagnetic wave absorption performances is mainly attributed to the improved dielectric loss ability, impedance matching and multiple reflections. This work provides a novel strategy in preparing SiC_f/SiC composites with excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties.     

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.     

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.     

Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties of In–Sn/rGO composites supported by impurity defect

With the fast development of E-communication technology, effective electromagnetic wave absorbing materials are highly needed to address the growing electromagnetic pollution. Herein, Indium doped tin microsphere/reduced graphene oxide (In–Sn/rGO) composites with rich impurity defects were synthesized via the sol-gel and hydrothermal method. The excellent microwave absorption of In–Sn/rGO composites can be attributed to the modifications of electronics status and Fermi energy level after In doping. This can significantly increase the carrier mobility between In–Sn microspheres and rGO sheets to strike a superior interfacial polarization loss. As a result, the maximum absorptivity can reach ?51.16 dB at 8.73 GHz (thickness: 3.5 mm) with a lower filler loading of 10 wt%. Meanwhile, the synthesized In–Sn/rGO composites also exhibit an ultra-wide absorbing frequency range of 13.84 GHz (within the X band, Ku band, and most of the C band). This research provides a new idea for the synthesis of effective microwave absorbing material by introducing impurity defects.     

Multiscale SiCnw and carbon fiber reinforced SiOC ceramic with enhanced mechanical and microwave absorption properties

The hierarchical SiOC/SiCnws/CF composites (A/B/C structure) were designed via precursor infiltration and pyrolysis process. The SiOC ceramics served as the wave-transparent characteristic materials to adjust the impedance matching. Herein, the in situ growth of SiCnws not only was used for the absorber but served as the reinforcement of SiOC matrix composites. In detail, the SiOC/SiCnws/CF-1200°C-2 exhibits excellent electromagnetic absorption performance with minimum reflection loss of −46 dB at 14.4 GHz with the thickness of 1.6 mm, and its effective absorption band reaches 4.3 GHz. Its compressive strength reaches 8.69 and 16.41 MPa in z and x/y directions, separately. This contribution has a guidance for the application of carbon fiber/ceramics matrix composites in harsh environment.     

Millimeter wave absorbing property of flexible graphene/acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber composite in 5G frequency band

The coming fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) puts forward enormous requirements on millimeter wave (MMW) absorbing materials above 24 GHz. In the present work, elastic absorbing composites were fabricated with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) of different reduction time and nitrile rubber (NBR). A series of characterization methods were used to study the reduction degree and the structure of composites, the electromagnetic parameters of composites in 26.5–40 GHz were also measured and used to conduct an analytical computation of reflection loss (RL). It was found that, 3h-RGO/NBR presented the minimum RL of ?45 dB at 35.4 GHz while 7h-RGO/NBR exhibited the widest effective bandwidth (<-10 dB) about 6.5 GHz. In addition, the mechanical properties of composites were also improved by RGO. Therefore, the obtained RGO/NBR composites displayed promising prospect as elastic MMW absorbing materials for 5G applications.     

Multifunction properties of SiOC reinforced with carbon fiber and in-situ SiC nanowires

Herein, the SiC nanowires were successfully fabricated via chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) into carbon fiber felts (CFs) and then the SiOC/SiCnws/CFs composites were synthesized by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) processes. Results indicated that the lightweight composites possessed enhanced mechanical performance, low thermal conductivity, and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties. Detailedly, the compressive strength reached to 22.0 MPa and 9.6 MPa after two PIP processes cycles in z and x/y directions, respectively. Meanwhile, the composites exhibited tailored electromagnetic wave absorption performance with the effective absorption bandwidth of 3.06 GHz, and the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) was -48.2 dB with a thickness of 3.6 mm. The present work has a guidance to prepare and design multifunction properties for application in harsh environment.     

Enhanced microwave absorption properties of Y-Co2Z/PANI hexaferrites composites in the frequency range of 0.1–18 GHz

We prepared Ba_3−xY_xCo₂Fe₂₄O₄₁ (Y-Co₂Z, x = 0, 0.2, and 0.4) by the solid-state reaction method. Y-Co₂Z and polyaniline (PANI) composites (named as Y-P0, Y-P2, and Y-P4) were prepared by using the in-situ polymerization method. The Y-doping played an important role in the variation of lattice parameters, a and c. The combination of Y-doping and PANI modified the magnetic properties of the composites, which could be observed by the changing of the saturation magnetization and coercivity. This combination had also affected the electromagnetic properties of composites through the measurements of complex permittivity and permeability. Using the transmission line theory, we calculated refection loss (RL) of composites with the variation thickness of 1.00–2.50 mm. Our composites tuned the minimum RL from the X band (RL = −29.6 dB at 11.4 GHz for Y-P2) to Ku band (RL = −16.3 dB at 15.7 GHz for Y-P4 and RL = −26.4 dB at 16.6 GHz for Y-P4). For maximum effective bandwidth, our composites covered a huge range from the S and C bands (Y-P0 with 3.9 GHz in the range of 3.4–7.3 GHz) through the X band (Y-P2 with 3.9 GHz in the range of 9.0–12.9 GHz) to the Ku band (Y-P4 with 4.0 GHz in the range of 13.8–17.8 GHz). Those properties proved that the composites could act as promising absorbers in the S, C, X, and Ku bands.     

Dual gradient direct ink writing of functional geopolymer-based carbonyl-iron/graphene composites for adjustable broadband microwave absorption

As a novel type of moulding technology, additive manufacturing (AM) can realise the rapid manufacturing of complex structures. This research applied dual gradient direct ink writing (DGDIW) with in-situ dispersion to fabricate multi-materials in an extensive gradient range. Functionally graded materials (FGM) have emerged as intelligent composites with peculiar advantages in wave absorption applications. An FGM geopolymer containing carbonyl-iron and graphene (CIG) powders with graded structure was successfully fabricated to enhance the wave-absorbing property via DGDIW three-dimensional (3D) printing. Compared with the non-structured homogeneous geopolymer composites, FGM composites performed more consecutive and effective absorbing from 2 to 18 GHz, resulting in a significantly increased electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption property. Combining with the gradient content of CIG fillers, the impedance matching and electromagnetic attenuation of 3D printed gradient lattice structure geopolymer composites has been significantly improved, the minimum reflection loss can reach ?46.47 dB at 17.58 GHz with a broadband absorption of 14.62 GHz (3.38–18.00 GHz). The results provided a promising strategy for fabricating functional graded ceramic composites with great potential as an absorption device in wave absorption applications, especially in protective structures, radiation-proof equipment/architecture, and defence constructions.     

Dielectric response and electromagnetic wave absorption of novel macroporous short carbon fibers/mullite composites

For wider-band and stronger electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption, macroporous short carbon fibers/mullite matrix (C_f/Mu) composites were prepared via introducing short carbon fibers (0, 0.7, and 1.3 vol%) with length of 2-3 mm into macroporous mullite ceramic by gel-casting. The density of as-prepared C_f/Mu composites decreases from 2.93 g/cm³ to 2.74 g/cm³, while the porosity increases from 3.32% to 10.76% with the rise in carbon fibers content. The diameter of macropores in C_f/Mu composites is ranging from several microns to tens of microns. Complex permittivity and dielectric loss of the prepared composites in X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) are significantly enhanced with increased carbon fibers content. The best EM wave absorption performance is obtained in the macroporous C_f/Mu composites containing only 0.7 vol% carbon fibers (C_f/Mu-0.7). The maximum absorption loss of C_f/Mu-0.7 is −38.3 dB at 12.08 GHz at the thickness of 2.1 mm, and effective absorption bandwidth below −10 dB (over 90% of EM wave absorption) covers the whole X band with the thickness of 2.35 mm. The results suggest that the C_f/Mu composites can be promising high-performance EM wave absorbing materials.     

Electromagnetic wave absorption of inexpensive C/ZnO composites derived from zinc-based acrylate resins

Based on the abundant and low-cost zinc-based acrylate resins, C/ZnO composites were fabricated via one-step carbonization at 700 °C in a N₂ atmosphere for 2 h. Zinc-based acrylate resins, which were synthesized by free-radical polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), acrylic acid (AA) and vinyl acetate (VAc) and dehydration condensation of Zn(OH)₂, provided a common source for carbon and ZnO. These materials demonstrate enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) behavior with tunable microwave absorption bands at 2–18 GHz, which is related to the molar ratio (mol%) of Zn(OH)₂ to acrylate monomers in zinc-based acrylate resins. Remarkably, the 0.11 mol% C/ZnO composite exhibits outstanding absorption properties: the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) at 16.7 wt% loading of −34.66 dB is observed at 3.0 mm and 10.32 GHz, and an RL_min of −24.83 dB is observed at a small thickness of 1.5 mm with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 3.61 GHz. Moreover, the EAB (RL ≤ −10 dB) from the C band to Ku band is achieved by simply adjusting the thickness of the absorbers, which are superior to the other hybrids of organic carbon and ZnO. These results provide a new strategy for the preparation of carbon-based composites containing metal oxides and their application in high-performance microwave absorption.     

Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties of glucose-derived carbon-rich SiOC ceramics annealed at different temperatures

A kind of glucose-derived carbon-rich silicon oxycarbide (glucose-SiOC) nanocomposite with excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing performance is obtained via solvothermal method, and then pyrolyzed at high temperature (1300°C and 1400°C) under argon atmosphere. The structural evolutions and the electromagnetic wave absorbing capabilities of the nanocomposites have been systematically investigated. The resultant 3 mol/L glucose-SiOC ceramic exhibits a heterostructure, in which nanosized glucose-derived carbon and SiC particles decorate on amorphous SiOC network. Benefitting from the nanosized carbon, SiC particles and the heterostructure attributes, the 3 mol/L glucose-SiOC ceramic displays a strong electromagnetic wave-absorbing property. The minimum reflection coefficient of the 3 mol/L glucose-SiOC ceramic pyrolyzed at 1400°C reaches −27.6 dB at 13.8 GHz. The widest effective absorption bandwidth attains 3.5 GHz in Kμ-band. This work opens up a novel and simple route to fabricate polymer-derived ceramics with excellent electromagnetic wave-absorbing performance.     

Fabrication of hierarchical PANI@W-type barium hexaferrite composites for highly efficient microwave absorption

Hexagonal barium ferries is a promising and efficient microwave (MW) absorbing material, but the low dielectric loss and poor conductivity have limited their extensive applications. In this work, a simple tactic of coating conductive polymer PANI on hexaferrite BaCo₂Fe₁₆O₂₇ is presented, wherein the dielectric properties are customized, and more significantly, the electromagnetic loss is greatly enhanced. As displayed from structural characterizations, PANI were coated equably on the surface of hexaferrite grains by an in-situ polymerization process. The outcomes exhibit the as-prepared PANI@hexaferrite composite has remarkable electromagnetic wave absorption capacity. When the thickness is 6.0 mm, the minimal RL of ?40.4 dB was achieved at 2.9 GHz. The effective absorption bandwidth (RL < ?20 dB) of 0.65 GHz, 0.53 GHz, 0.65 GHz, 0.52 GHz, 0.46 GHz and 0.39 GHz was achieved separately when the thickness ranges from 4 to 9 mm. The highly efficient MW absorbing performance of PANI@hexaferrite composite were the consequence of multiple loss mechanisms and perfect impedance matching. It is demonstrated that the PANI@hexaferrite composite with excellent MW absorption performance is expected to be potential MW absorbers for extensive applications.     

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.     

Effect of B4C content and annealing on complex permittivity and microwave-absorption properties of B4C/Al2O3 coatings

The B₄C/Al₂O₃ coatings were fabricated by air plasma spraying technology, and their complex permittivity and microwave absorption properties in the X-band were investigated before and after annealing (500 °C/2 h). Both the real and imaginary parts of the complex permittivity of the coatings decreased after annealing, which can be attributed to the weakening of polarization relaxation intensity and the reduction of electrical conductivity caused by the escape of carbon atoms. In addition, the density of B₄C/Al₂O₃ coatings decreased from 3.01 to 2.16 g/cm³ with increasing B₄C content. The B₄C/Al₂O₃ coatings exhibit a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of ?39.58 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth (RL＜?10 dB, EAB) covers 1.9 GHz at a thickness of 1.6 mm. After annealing, the above coatings still had an EAB of 1 GHz. Therefore, the B₄C/Al₂O₃ coatings can be considered as a promising microwave-absorption candidate with good high-temperature microwave-absorbing performance and low density.     

Advanced Ti3C2Tx MXene-modified cement nanocomposites toward high efficiency electromagnetic functional materials for green buildings

The proliferation of electronic devices and wireless communication is leading to serious electromagnetic (EM) interference. In this work, Ti₃C₂/cement composites were developed as high efficiency EM functional materials by introducing exfoliated Ti₃C₂T_x MXene with cement for green buildings with EM shielding function. In the composites, few-layered Ti₃C₂ MXene were dispersed homogeneously throughout the cement matrix. The EM properties of the composites were studied as a function of the MXene content. With increasing MXene content, real and imaginary part of permittivity was significantly improved owing to the polarization and electrical conduction caused by the MXene phase. Composites with 15 wt.% MXene showed good EM absorbing properties with a maximum effective absorbing bandwidth of 2.67 GHz. Strong EM shielding can be achieved when MXene content increased to 25 wt.%. The EM shielding effectiveness of such composites was higher than 22.0 dB, and the dominating shielding mechanism was EM absorption. This work finds new materials for the development of advanced green buildings with EM shielding function.     

Fabrication method,dielectric properties,and electromagnetic absorption performance of high alumina fly ash-based ceramic composites

Mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites were in-situ synthesized through carbothermal reduction reaction of fly ash (FA) with a high alumina content and activated carbon (AC). The effects of sintering temperature, holding time, and amount of AC on the β-SiC yield, microstructure, dielectric properties, and electromagnetic (EM) absorption performance of the composites in the 2–18 GHz frequency range were studied. The results show that increasing the AC improves the porosities of the composites, with the highest porosity of 56.17% observed. The β-SiC yield varies considerably as the sintering parameters were altered, with a maximum yield of 23% achieved under conditions of 12 wt% AC, 1400 °C sintering temperature, and 3 h holding time. With a thickness of 3.5 mm, this composite has excellent EM absorption performance, exhibiting a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -51.55 dB at 7.60 GHz. Significantly, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 3.39 GHz when the thickness is 3.0 mm. These results demonstrate that the composite prepared under ideal conditions can absorb 99.99% of the waves passing through it. Because of the interfacial polarization, conductive loss, and impedance matching of the heterostructure, the synthesized mullite-Al₂O₃-SiC composites with densities ranging from 1.43 g/cm³ to 1.62 g/cm³ demonstrate outstanding EM attenuation capabilities. Therefore, this study presents a remarkable way of utilizing fly ash to fabricate inexpensive, functional ceramic materials for EM absorption applications.     

Preparation of SiCf/Si–O–C composites by impregnation pyrolysis of polysiloxane and its electromagnetic wave absorption properties

High-temperature structural electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials are increasing in demand because they can simultaneously possess the functions of mechanical load-bearing, heatproof, and EMW absorption. Herein, SiC_f/Si–O–C composites were prepared by precursor impregnation pyrolysis using continuous SiC fibers needled felt as reinforcement and polysiloxane as a precursor, respectively. The phase composition, microstructure, complex permittivity, and EMW absorption properties of SiC_f/Si–O–C composites after annealing at various temperatures were investigated. The annealing at 1400–1500°C affects positively the EMW absorption performance of the composites, because the β-SiC microcrystals and SiC nanowires were generated by the activation of carbothermal reduction reaction in the composites, and the aspect ratio of SiC nanowires increased with the rise of temperature. The composites exhibit optimal EMW absorption performance, with the effective absorption bandwidth covering the entire X-band and the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of −32.8 dB at 4.0 mm when the annealing temperature is raised to 1500°C. This is because that the impedance matching is improved as the rising of ε′ and decreasing of ε″ due to the conversion of free carbon in the composite into SiC nanowires.     

Controllable dielectric properties and strong electromagnetic wave absorption properties of SiC/spherical graphite-AlN microwave-attenuating composite ceramics

Fully dense SiC/spherical graphite-AlN microwave-attenuating composite ceramics were manufactured via hot-pressing sintering, in which, apart from the primary SG (spherical graphite) attenuating agent, 5–30 wt% semiconductive α-SiC was employed as the second attenuating agent. The incorporation of SiC contributed to a slightly decreasing electrical conductivity and enhanced polarization relaxation. Controllable complex permittivities were obtained, namely, both the real and imaginary permittivities exhibit first a decrease and then an increase with the SiC addition, and which delivers an optimized impedance matching of the composites. RL_min values below ?10 dB (more than 90% absorption) were achieved by all the composites containing 5–20 wt% SiC with the sample thickness of 1–1.4 mm, and the absorption performance characteristics were significantly tunable by controlling the of SiC content at 8.2–12.4 GHz. Impressively, a superior reflection loss of ?46 dB (1.1 mm) and wide effective absorption bandwidth of 2.1 GHz were achieved at a 5 wt% SiC content, respectively, rendering SiC/SG–AlN composites a potential ultra-thin and highly efficient microwave-attenuating ceramic candidate.     

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphene-based binary composite aerogels for ultralightweight and broadband electromagnetic absorption

The development of ultralightweight and broadband electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials remains a big challenge. In this work, porous magnesium ferrite microspheres decorated nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO/MgFe₂O₄) composite aerogels were prepared by a two-step route of solvothermal synthesis and hydrothermal self-assembly. Results of microscopic morphology characterization showed that NRGO/MgFe₂O₄ composite aerogels had a unique hierarchical porous structure. Moreover, the influence of additive amounts of graphene oxide on the electromagnetic parameters and EMW absorption properties of NRGO/MgFe₂O₄ composite aerogels was explored. Remarkably, the attained binary composite aerogel with the content of NRGO of 70.21 wt% exhibited the best EMW absorption performance. The minimum reflection loss reached up to −55.7 dB, and the corresponding effective absorption bandwidth was as large as 5.36 GHz at a thin matching thickness of 1.98 mm. Furthermore, when the matching thickness was slightly increased to 2.29 mm, the widest effective absorption bandwidth was enlarged to 7.1 GHz, covering the entire Ku-band. The magnetodielectric synergy and unique hierarchical porous structure in NRGO/MgFe₂O₄ composite aerogels not only improved the impedance matching, but also greatly enhanced the EMW absorption capacity. It was believed that the results of this work could be helpful for the preparation of graphene-based magnetic composites as broadband and efficient EMW absorbers.