Bimetallic nanocubes embedded in biomass-derived porous carbon to construct magnetic/carbon dual-mechanism layered structures for efficient microwave absorption

Biomass-derived porous carbon materials have great potential for the development of lightweight and efficient broadband microwave absorbers. In this study, we reported the successful immobilization of Co3O4/CoFe2O4 nanocubes on porous carbon derived from ginkgo biloba shells by activated carbonization and electrostatic self-assembly processes. The optimal reflection loss value of the prepared BPC@Co3O4/CoFe2O4 reaches -68.5 dB when the filling load is 10 wt%, and the effective absorption bandwidth is 6.2 GHz with a matching thickness of 2 mm. The excellent microwave absorption (MA) performance is attributed to the rational three-dimensional structural design, the modulation of magnetic/carbon components, the optimized impedance matching, and the coordinated action of multiple mechanisms. It was further demonstrated by high-frequency structural simulation that the composite can effectively dissipate microwave energy in practical applications. Therefore, the results indicate a favorable potential of the synthesis and application of semiconductor/magnetic component/ biomass-derived carbon microwave absorbing materials.