ZnO-decorated SiC@C hybrids with strong electromagnetic absorption

A novel strategy is provided to improve the absorption of SiC nanomaterials through surface carbonization of SiC nanowires and hydrolysis. SiC@C-ZnO composites were synthesized with different dosages of ZnNO₃·6H₂O. Composition, microstructure, and electromagnetic properties of the composites were characterized and analyzed. Results from TEM and XRD show that crystalline ZnO particles adhere to the surface of amorphous carbon, and the ZnO content increases as a function of a dosage of ZnNO₃·6H₂O. The as-prepared SiC@C-ZnO hybrids exhibit effective electromagnetic absorption, which is related to a synergy effect of different dielectric loss processes. The minimum reflection loss reached -65.4 dB at 11 GHz at a sample thickness of 3.1 mm, while the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reached 7 GHz at a sample thickness of 2.56 mm. Furthermore, the EAB of the samples can also cover the whole X band and Ku band at small sample thicknesses (2.09-3.47 mm). The excellent properties of the materials suggest great prospect as electromagnetic absorbers.