Facile preparation of in situ coated Ti3C2Tx/Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composites and their electromagnetic performance

Abstract

A novel family of Ti₃C₂T_x/ferrite composites with high reflection loss was developed using a facile in situ co-precipitation method. The as-synthesized Ti₃C₂T_x/ferrite composite with a 5 wt% Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes loading exhibited high reflection loss (−42.5 dB) at 13.5 GHz. The effective absorption bandwidth of the 5 wt% Ti₃C₂T_x/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ composite reached ∼3 GHz (12–15 GHz) in the K-band. The incorporation of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes improved the electromagnetic impedance of the Ti₃C₂T_x/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ composite resulting from the enhanced electrical conductivity. The potential electromagnetic wave absorption mechanisms were revealed, which may contain magnetic loss, dielectric loss, conductivity loss, multiple reflections, and scattering. The technique is facile, fast, scalable, and favorable for the commercialization of this composite. This study provides a potential way to develop EM wave absorbing materials for a large family of MXenes/ferrite composites.