ZnO nanostructures grown on carbon fibers: Morphology control and microwave absorption properties

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2014-04, Vol.593, p.7-15
• Main Authors: Luo, Honglin, Xiong, Guangyao, Chen, Xiaoqin, Li, Qiuping, Ma, Chunying, Li, Deying, Wu, Xiaobing, Wan, Yizao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon fibers; Coating materials; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Dielectric properties of solids and liquids; Dielectrics, piezoelectrics, and ferroelectrics and their properties; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Microwave absorption; Microwave and radio-frequency interactions (excluding resonances); Morphology; Nanostructure; Nanostructured materials; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Oxide materials; Paraffins; Permittivity (dielectric function); Physics; Scanning electron microscopy; Semiconductors; Transmission electron microscopy; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2014.01.096

•Morphology of ZnO can be readily controlled by adjusting processing variables.•Floccus-like ZnO-coated CFs exhibit excellent microwave absorption properties.•ZnO morphology has a significant influence on the microwave absorption properties.•Floccus-like ZnO-coated CFs are attractive new microwave absorption materials. Morphology control is crucial to the applications of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals. In this study, ZnO nanostructures with varying morphologies were coated on the surface of carbon fibers (CFs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were conducted to characterize the morphology and structure of the ZnO-coated CFs (ZCCFs). SEM images reveal that ZnO nanostructures with different morphologies and microstructures are uniformly coated on CFs. XRD and TEM studies show that the products consist of crystallized hexagonal wurtzite ZnO. The complex permittivity and permeability of the ZCCF/paraffin composites with two different ZnO morphologies (floccus and particle) were measured in the frequency range of 1–18GHz and their microwave absorption properties were investigated. Results show that the ZCCF/paraffin composite containing 30wt.% floccus-shaped ZnO exhibits significantly higher dielectric loss and better microwave absorption properties as compared to that with particle-shaped ZnO. It is demonstrated that the floccus-like ZnO-coated CFs are a promising microwave absorbent with light weight, small thickness, strong absorption, and broad bandwidth.