Growth of Fe(3)O(4) nanorod arrays on graphene sheets for application in electromagnetic absorption fields

A facial strategy is developed to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) Fe3 O4 nanorod array/graphene architecture, in which Fe3 O4 nanorods with a length and diameter of about 600 and 100 nm, respectively, are grown on both surfaces of the graphene sheets. The measured electromagnetic parameters show that the 3D architecture exhibits excellent electromagnetic wave-absorption properties, that is, more than 99 % of electromagnetic wave energy can be attenuated by the 3D architecture if it is added in only 20 wt % of the paraffin matrix, as the thickness of the absorber is in the range from 2.38 to 5.00 mm. The analysis of the electromagnetic (EM) absorption mechanism reveals that the excellent EM absorption properties are related to the special 3D architecture, and therefore, the construction of graphene-based 3D heteronanostructures is effective in obtaining lightweight EM absorbers with strong absorption properties.