In Situ Grown 1D/2D Structure of Dy₃Si₂C₂ on SiC_w for Enhanced Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

To improve electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance, a novel nano-laminated Dy₃Si₂C₂ coating was successfully in situ coated on the surface of SiC whisker (SiC_w/Dy₃Si₂C₂) using a molten salt approach. A labyrinthine three-dimensional (3D) net was constructed by the one-dimensional (1D) SiC_w coated with the two-dimensional (2D) Dy₃Si₂C₂ layer with a thickness of ~100 nm, which significantly improved the EMW absorption properties of SiC_w. Compared to pure SiC_w with the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) value of -10.64 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 1.04 GHz for the sample with a thickness of 4.5 mm, SiC_w/Dy₃Si₂C₂ showed a significantly better EMW absorption performance with RL_min of -32.09 dB and wider EAB of 3.76 GHz for thinner samples with a thickness of 1.76 mm. The enhancement of the EMW absorption performance could be ascribed to the improvement of impedance matching, enhanced conductance loss, interfacial polarization as well as multiple scattering. The SiC_w/Dy₃Si₂C₂ can be a candidate for EMW absorber applications due to its excellent EMW absorption performance and wide EAB for relatively thin samples, light weight, as well as potential oxidation and corrosion resistance at high temperatures.