Design and synthesis of TiO2/Co/carbon nanofibers with tunable and efficient electromagnetic absorption

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2020-01, Vol.380, p.122591, Article 122591
• Main Authors: Qiao, Jing, Zhang, Xue, Xu, Dongmei, Kong, Lingxin, Lv, Longfei, Yang, Fan, Wang, Fenglong, Liu, Wei, Liu, Jiurong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Electromagnetic wave absorption; Impedance matching characteristic; Inner attenuation mechanism; Micro-network morphology; TiO2/Co/CNFs nanocomposites
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.122591

[Display omitted] •A facile method to design carbon nanofibers loaded with oxides or metals.•Unique 3D micro-network morphology contributing to electromagnetic absorption.•Deeply investing the separate function of dielectric metal oxide and magnetic metal.•Employing 2D projection images of impedance matching characteristic to assist in the analysis.•Revealing the inner attenuation mechanism of enhanced electromagnetic absorption performances. Carbon materials are widely used for electromagnetic wave absorption. However, to find out a more rational approach to improve the electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance is still worthy of attention. In this work, the carbon nanofibers (CNFs) decorated by titanium oxide and metallic cobalt (TiO2/Co/CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning and carbonizing process, and the microtopography, structure, composition and magnetic properties of which were characterized in detail. The TiO2/Co/CNFs nanocomposites acquired optimal electromagnetism parameters and exhibited superb electromagnetic wave absorption property. The results showed that the minimum reflection loss (RL) values of TiO2/Co/CNFs samples with different filling ratios are less than −50 dB with the matching thickness less than 3.5 mm. The maximum effective absorption bandwidths (RL ≤ −10 dB) exceed 5.2 GHz. Besides, the strong absorption frequency range can be regulated by adjusting filling ratios to broaden the application. This work provides a unique approach to design carbon nanofibers loaded with oxides or metals, and the TiO2/Co/CNFs nanocomposites could be an ideal candidate as light-weight and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption materials and the tunable absorption property portend the potential application in various environmental conditions.