Co3O4/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane enabled high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption

Abstract

Electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials have been fabricated from diverse materials such as conductive polymers, carbon based nanostructures and magnetic metal oxides. Nevertheless, it has remained a great challenge to develop lightweight and high-efficiency EM wave absorbing materials with a broad frequency range. Herein, we report a scalable strategy to create Co3O4/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane by electrospinning technique followed by stabilization and carbonization processes. An optimal reflection loss (RL) value of 36.27 dB is reached at 13.76 GHz for a layer of 2 mm thickness. RL exceeding −20 dB can be realized in any interval within the 4.5–14.4 GHz range by selecting a proper thickness of the absorbing layer between 1 and 5 mm. The Co3O4/carbon composite nanofibrous membrane could be well served as promising and attractive candidates for lightweight and enhanced EM wave absorbing materials. This presented research provides an innovative and effective approach to design the novel EM wave absorbing material in a broad frequency range for practical applications.