ZIF-67@carbon fiber derived magnetic-dielectric synergistic heterostructure for excellent microwave absorption under ultrathin thickness

Aiming to solve the aggravating electromagnetic radiation issues, high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers are urgently required. Recently, integrating carbonaceous and magnetic materials to obtain dielectric-magnetic double EMW loss has been intensively explored. Here, Co3O4/Co@carbon nanofibers/carbon nanotubes anchored on carbon fiber (Co3O4/Co@CNFs/CNTs/CF) hybrids (CFFs) with distinctive heterostructure were synthesized by annealing ZIF-67@CF and catalytic chemical vapor deposition, and deliver great superiorities in microwave dissipation. Specifically, when at a low filling ratio of 25 wt% in paraffin wax, CFF650 acquires a superb minimum reflection loss up to −60.85 dB at only 1.22 mm together with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 4.24 GHz at merely 1.38 mm. Remarkably, the specific reflection loss of CFF650 achieves an unexpected value, comparable to many distinguished carbon-based composites previously reported. Besides, the simulation of radar cross section values ascertains the fulfilling stealth ability of CFFs under radar detection. These excellent characteristics benefit from the diverse components and unique heterostructures, which form rich conductive networks, plentiful heterogeneous interfaces, appropriate defect polarization and dipole polarization, sufficient magnetic loss as well as optimal impedance matching. Combined with the feasible and efficient fabrication method, this work offers a significant promise of CF-based composites for practical applications in EMW absorption.