Constructing core-shell carbon fiber/polypyrrole/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite with optimized conductive loss and polarization loss toward efficient electromagnetic absorption

The inadequate impedance matching and weak attenuation capability for incident electromagnetic waves exhibited by carbon fibers (CF) are critical factors limiting their application served as absorbing materials. Constructing a nanocomposite system that simultaneously exhibits both dielectric loss and magnetic loss characteristics is a feasible strategy to overcome these limitations. In the present study, a core-shell CF@PPy@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite is fabricated through electrodeposition and subsequent hydrothermal methods to enhance the attenuation capacity and impedance matching of bare CF. Under the synergistic effects of diverse components and a peculiar network structure, the nanocomposite demonstrates optimized conductive loss and polarization loss, which results in a remarkable electromagnetic wave absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -55.33 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.48 GHz (12 ~ 18 GHz) at optimal thicknesses of 2.11 and 2.42 mm, respectively, suggesting its promising application as a candidate absorber. More importantly, the exploration concerning the absorption mechanism provides significant insights into the attenuation modes of the dielectric-magnetic loss hetero-junction, which is beneficial for developing similar absorbing materials. CF@PPyCoFe2O4 nanocomposite displays an efficient electromagnetic wave absorption capacity by virtue of its excellent conductive loss and polarization loss.