Excellent electromagnetic wave absorption of MOF/SiBCN nanomaterials at high temperature

Electromagnetic wave absorbing materials at high-temperature are urgently needed for stealth aircrafts or aero-engines worked in harsh environments. In this contribution, cobalt-containing siliconboron carbonitride (MOF/SiBCN) nanomaterials were prepared by pyrolyzing metal–organic framework, i.e. cobalt 2-methylimidazole (ZIF-67), and hyperbranched polyborosilazane. The rhombic dodecahedral ZIF-67 and cobalt element promoted in situ formation of dielectric loss phases, including SiC nanocrystals, CoSi nanocrystals and turbostratic carbons. The ZIF-67/SiBCN nanomaterials showed excellent microwave absorption both at room and elevated temperature. The minimum reflection coefficient (RCmin) was −51.6 dB and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 3.93 GHz at room temperature. At an elevated temperature of 600 °C, the RCmin reached −30.29 dB and EAB covered almost the whole X-band (3.95 GHz, 8.45–12.4 GHz). The ZIF-67/SiBCN nanocomposites are promising and useful platform for microwave absorbing materials at high-temperature. It may shed light on the downstream applications in designing next generation areo-engines and stealth aircrafts.