N-doped carbon layer cladded carbon sphere for broadband and boosted microwave attenuation capacity

Abstract

Structural construction and heteroatom doping are deemed effective strategies for designing a high-performance microwave absorbing composite to eliminate electromagnetic hazards. Herein, a series of core–shell structural carbon@N-doped carbon (C@NC) nanospheres were successfully fabricated without employing additional modifying agents and sophisticated operation. After incorporating them into a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix, the C@NC/PVDF composites possess tunable wave attenuation capacity obtained by regulating the coating layer thickness and filler loading. Benefitting from the design strategy of the core–shell structure and N-doped C, the C@NC-2/PVDF composites displayed the broadest effective absorption bandwidth of 6.29 GHz (11.71–18 GHz) under a filler content of only 10 wt% at 2.01 mm. Additionally, the minimum reflection loss value of C@NC-3/PVDF composites achieves −62.87 dB within the same mass ratio at a thickness of 2.35 mm. The excellent wave dissipation ability is attributed to the combination of optimized impedance matching and synergistically enhanced multiple loss mechanisms including conduction loss, interfacial polarization as well as dipolar polarization. This work offers a ponderable paradigm for the deeper exploitation of high-efficiency carbon absorbers.