Cobalt-nickel carbonate hydroxide composites achieving excellent electromagnetic absorption and wide bandwidth through incorporation with polypyrrole nanotubes

Abstract

Electromagnetic absorption composite with prominent absorption properties and wider absorption bandwidth are in urgent desire. Polypyrrole-based composite is a prosperous candidate due to its easiness in synthesis, morphological diversity and controllable conductivity. In the present work, cobalt-nickel carbonate hydroxide (CCH) microwave absorption materials incorporating polypyrrole nanotubes (PNTs) in different loadings (CCH/PNTs) were prepared via a facile template method next to a hydrothermal treatment. The CCH is revealed in a sea-urchin-like morphology and PNTs are dispersed on the surface of the CCH. In light of the unique morphology, large specific surface area and interfaces, the CCH/PNTs composites exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance and extensive bandwidth of absorption. With a 180 mg loading of PNTs, the composite delivers a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of − 57.4 dB with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.44 GHz. By tuning the matching thickness, a wide EAB larger than 7 GHz can be obtained in the X-band and Ku-band. The prominent EMW absorption properties can be ascribed to the dielectric loss, the polarization loss and multiple scattering attenuation from the large surfaces and interfaces from PNTs, and the optimization of impedance matching via CCH. The present research can offer an intuitive guide for the conception of microwave absorbers with wide absorption bandwidth.