Synthesis of nanostructured MnO2, SnO2, and Co3O4: graphene composites with enhanced microwave absorption properties

Abstract

In this work, metal oxide (MnO2, SnO2 and Co3O4)–graphene composite materials were successfully prepared via different synthesis methods. Uniform metal oxide nanoparticles were well dispersed on graphene sheets, and transmission electron microscopy characterizations showed that the average sizes of MnO2, SnO2, and Co3O4 particles were about 60, 5, and 10 nm, respectively. Reflection losses of graphene composites and pure graphene were systematically evaluated between 2 and 18 GHz, which revealed that all composites exhibited enhanced microwave absorption properties compared to pure graphene. The minimum reflection losses of MnO2-graphene, SnO2–graphene, and Co3O4–graphene composites with a thickness of 2.0 mm were −20.9, −15.28, and −7.3 dB at the frequency of 14.8, 15.94, and 9.6 GHz, respectively, whereas −4.5 dB for pure graphene. The enhanced absorption ability probably originated from the combined advantage of metal oxide particles and graphene, which proved beneficial to improve the impedance matching of permittivity and permeability. Besides, the intrinsic characteristics of MnO2, SnO2, and Co3O4 nanoparticles, the interface between nanostructured metal oxides and graphene sheets, and the multi-dielectric relaxation processes are all influence factors to improve the properties of microwave absorption.