Enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption performance of polymer/SiC-nanowire/MXene (Ti3C2Tx) composites

Electromagnetic pollution has become a serious issue with the ever-increasing development of portable technologies and commercialization of 5th generation wireless systems. Polymer composites of emerging nanomaterials such as 2D MXene Ti3C2Tx are promising candidates for manufacturing high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption materials. In this work, heterogeneous nanostructures of SiC-nanowire (SiCnw)/MXene were developed in a poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) matrix through electrostatic self-assembly, followed by solution casting and hot pressing. The synergism of the 2D MXene nanosheets and 1D SiCnw with numerous stacking faults in the structure created many heterogeneous interfaces in the polymer matrix. The unique nanostructures within the polymer matrix efficiently led to superior electromagnetic wave absorption properties. The SiCnws:MXene ratio and the SiCnw/MXene concentration were optimized to be SiCnw:MXene = 7:1 and 20 wt%, respectively, to achieve an effective bandwidth of 5.0 GHz over the Ku-band. A minimum reflection loss of −75.8 dB was found at the matching thickness from 1.45 mm to 1.5 mm. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance of the flexible PVDF/SiCnw/MXene nanocomposites was attributed to the proper impedance matching, enhanced interfacial polarization and high dielectric loss. Thus, this study introduces a simple approach to develop high-efficiency, flexible and lightweight electromagnetic wave absorption materials with a tailored nanostructure.