An ultra-broadband lightweight structural absorber with excellent absorption enhancement based on traditional carbon-based absorbents

Abstract

An ultra-broadband and lightweight structural absorber based on a mixture absorbent composed of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black has been proposed here. The absorber adopts a low surface density double frame structure design. In order to improve the microwave absorption performance to cope with the increasingly complex electromagnetic environment, the multi-layer structure design was used here. The simulation results show that the double-frame microwave absorber (DFMA) with a matching layer has a better absorption effect and wide-angle absorption property. The simulation results were verified by related experiments. The experimental results show the DFMA with inner and outer frame matching layers can reach more than 90% absorption within 5.8–18 GHz, with a bandwidth of 12.2 GHz. And over the 90% range of absorption bandwidth, the absorptivity is greater than 96.3% (the reflection loss is less than - 15 dB). The absorber which has the advantages of high absorption gain, wide-angle absorption performance, low cost, and low surface density meets the application requirements in the current complex electromagnetic environment. Meanwhile, the design of the absorber also provides new ideas for improving the microwave absorption performance of traditional carbon-based absorbents.