Optical, electromagnetic and physiochemical properties of flower-like MoS2 (D) and Ni microsphere (M) based absorbers for X and Ku band applications

• Published in: Ceramics international 2022-01, Vol.48 (2), p.2677-2685
• Main Authors: Lin, Yinhe, Akhtar, Majid Niaz, Abu-Hamdeh, Nidal H., Bezzina, Smain, Tan, Hoi Huynh, Wang, Zhe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Flower like structure; Ku band; Microspheres; Microwave absorption
• ISSN: 0272-8842; 1873-3956
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.10.052

Currently, absorbing materials with thin thickness, lightweight, and strong absorption are required to reduce electromagnetic pollution. Flower-like MoS2 (D) and Ni microsphere (M) with MoS2 (D/M) absorbers were successfully fabricated via hydrothermal and solvothermal methods. Structural, physiochemical, elemental, and magneto-optical studies of the D and D/M samples were evaluated. The bandgap for M, D, and D/M composite is 2.56 eV, 3.1 eV, and 3.7 eV respectively. Morphological studies confirm the shape of the Ni microsphere and flower-like structure of the MoS2 composite. D and D/M composite show synergistic performance in terms of effective bandwidth, absorption, and reflection loss. The RL from D is −24.5 dB for 1.5 mm thickness whereas the D/M sample shows −9 dB at 2.5 mm thickness. Double layer absorbers of D and D/M were simulated using CST software. The lower/upper layer of D and D/M with 1.5 mm lower and 0.5 mm upper layers’ arrangement depicted minimum reflection loss and depicted their use for Ku band application. Therefore, D and D/M composites with thin thickness and minimum reflection loss might be suggested for application in microwave absorption.