Enhanced Absorption Performance of Carbon Nanostructure Based Metamaterials and Tuning Impedance Matching Behavior by an External AC Electric Field

Preparation and electromagnetic waves absorption performance of novel peanut shell/CoFe2O4/(RGO)x/PVA nanocomposites

Novel functional materials possessing the capability to attenuate electromagnetic energy are being increasingly incorporated into home decor as concerns over excessive electromagnetic radiation pollution continue to grow. The properties of magnetism and dielectricity in the flexible peanut shell/CoFe2O4/reduced graphene oxide/polyvinyl alcohol (PS/CF/(RGO)x/PVA) nanocomposites can be finely tuned by adjusting the amount of RGO in the mixture. An examination of the composite's absorption capabilities revealed a direct link between higher RGO content and enhanced absorption. Due to the presence of multiple pathways for electromagnetic wave transmission through the three-dimensional porous structure, as well as the synergistic effects of dielectric-magnetic properties and various defects in the carbon derived from peanut shells, the PS/CF/(RGO)x/PVA nanocomposites exhibit remarkable impedance matching and exceptional attenuation capabilities to -20.98404 dB for a thickness of 1 mm. Additionally, the PS/CF/(RGO)x/PVA nanocomposites have shown great promise in the production of flexible electronic devices like light-dependent resistors. Their lightweight and flexible nature play a crucial role in their success in this application. It is worth mentioning, however, that these nanocomposites bear a resemblance to traditional absorber equipment used in the industry.

Structural, Magnetic, and Electrical Investigations of PVA/Ni Ferrite/(MoS2)x Nanocomposites

Transition metal sulfides (TMDs) possess exceptional dielectric properties and a narrow band gap, rendering them highly efficient as electromagnetic absorbing materials. Among these TMDs, the two-dimensional MoS2 nanosheet has received significant attention in research. However, the quest for new absorbers no longer finds satisfaction in solitary absorption mechanisms. This article introduces a successful method for creating PVA/NiFe2O4/(MoS2)x nanocomposites via a straightforward sol-gel technique, wherein porous amorphous NiFe2O4 microspheres are integrated into MoS2 nanosheets. The investigation uncovers that the incorporation of MoS2 results in an enhanced complex permittivity, facilitating the attainment of a desirable permittivity level. The PVA/NiFe2O4/(MoS2)x nanocomposite absorber exhibits an incredibly low reflection loss (RL) of -16.75 dB at a mere thickness of 1 mm, achieved through the cooperative interaction of dielectric and magnetic loss, along with the advantages of the structure and composition. Consequently, the PVA/NiFe2O4/(MoS2)x nanocomposites effectively absorb electromagnetic waves. Therefore, it is posited that MoS2-based composites hold great promise as highly effective microwave absorbers, boasting strong absorption intensity and a wide absorption frequency range, given the exceptional performance of the as-fabricated PVA/NiFe2O4/(MoS2)x nanocomposites.

Flexible Copper Nanowire/Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membranous Composites with a Frequency-Independent Negative Permittivity

With the increasing popularity of wearable devices, flexible electronics with a negative permittivity property have been widely applied to wearable devices, sensors, and energy storage. In particular, a low-frequency dispersion negative permittivity in a wide frequency range can effectively contribute to the stable working performance of devices. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was selected as the flexible matrix, and copper nanowires (CuNWs) were used as the conductive functional filler to prepare a flexible CuNWs/PVDF composite film with a low-frequency dispersion negative permittivity. As the content of CuNWs increased, the conductivity of the resulting composites increased sharply and presented a metal-like behavior. Moreover, the negative permittivity consistent with the Drude model was observed when CuNWs formed a percolative network. Meanwhile, the negative permittivity exhibited a low-frequency dispersion in the whole test frequency range, and the fluctuation of the permittivity spectra was relatively small (-760 to -584) at 20 kHz-1 MHz. The results revealed that the high electron mobility of CuNWs is reasonable for the low-frequency dispersion of negative permittivity. CuNWs/PVDF composite films with a frequency-independent negative permittivity provide a new idea for the development of flexible wearable electronic devices.

Adjustable Graphene/Polyolefin Elastomer Epsilon-near-Zero Metamaterials at Radiofrequency Range

While epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterials have marvelously shown various application prospects, the way to construct intrinsic ENZ metamaterials and adjust their ENZ properties precisely is still uncovered. The realization of stable and broadband ENZ properties at the radiofrequency range is of great significance. Herein graphene/polyolefin elastomer (POE) intrinsic ENZ metamaterials are initially constructed via the nanohybrid process. The metamaterials possess excellent adjustable ENZ properties by adjusting the content and reduction methods of graphene. The permittivities maintain between -1 and 1 steadily with increasing graphene content, which is attributed to the moderated carrier concentration of the conductive networks in the nanohybrids. Besides, different reduction methods also have significant impacts on ENZ properties. The hydrazine hydrate reduction method increases the maximum ENZ frequency region to 126 MHz. Lorentz type resonance is reasonable for the positive-negative transition in the ENZ frequency regions. As a significant indicator of the emergence of ENZ property, the sudden peak of dielectric loss tangent is observed. This work offers novel routes to construct intrinsic ENZ metamaterials with excellent adjustability in both values of permittivity and ENZ frequency regions.

Large-Area Broadband Near-Perfect Absorption from a Thin Chalcogenide Film Coupled to Gold Nanoparticles

Perfect absorbers that can efficiently absorb electromagnetic waves over a broad spectral range are crucial for energy harvesting, light detection, and optical camouflage. Recently, perfect absorbers based on a metasurface have attracted intensive attention. However, high-performance metasurface absorbers in the visible spectra require strict fabrication tolerances, and this is a formidable challenge. Moreover, fabricating subwavelength meta-atoms requires a top-down approach, thus limiting their scalability and spectral applicability. Here, we introduce a plasmonic nearly perfect absorber that exhibits a measured polarization-insensitive absorptance of ∼92% across the spectral region from 400 to 1000 nm. The absorber is realized via a one-step self-assembly deposition of 50 nm gold (Au) nanoparticle (NP) clusters onto a 35 nm-thick Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST225) chalcogenide film. An excellent agreement between the measured and theoretically simulated absorptance was found. The coalescence of the lossy GST225 dielectric layer and high density of localized surface plasmon resonance modes induced by the randomly distributed Au NPs play a vital role in obtaining the nearly perfect absorptance. The exceptionally high absorptance together with large-area high-throughput self-assembly fabrication demonstrates their potential for industrial-scale manufacturability and consequential widespread applications in thermophotovoltaics, photodetection, and sensing.

Carbon Nanotube Embedded Nanostructure for Biometrics

Low electric energy loss is a very important problem to minimize the decay of transferred energy intensity due to impedance mismatch. This issue has been dealt with by adding an impedance matching layer at the interface between two media. A strategy was proposed to improve the charge transfer from the human body to a biometric device by using an impedance matching nanostructure. Nanocomposite pattern arrays were fabricated with shape memory polymer and carbon nanotubes. The shape recovery ability of the nanopatterns enhanced durability and sustainability of the structure. It was found that the composite nanopatterns improved the current transfer by two times compared with the nonpatterned composite sample. The underlying mechanism of the enhanced charge transport was understood by carrying out a numerical simulation. We anticipate that this study can provide a new pathway for developing advanced biometric devices with high sensitivity to biological information.

Magnetically Aligned Co-C/MWCNTs Composite Derived from MWCNT-Interconnected Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks for a Lightweight and Highly Efficient Electromagnetic Wave Absorber

Developing lightweight and highly efficient electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials is crucial but challenging for anti-electromagnetic irradiation and interference. Herein, we used multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as templates for growth of Co-based zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and obtained a Co-C/MWCNTs composite by postpyrolysis. The MWCNTs interconnected the ZIF-derived Co-C porous particles, constructing a conductive network for electron hopping and migration. Moreover, the Co-C/MWCNTs composite was aligned in paraffin matrix under an external magnetic field, which led to a stretch of the MWCNTs along the magnetic field direction. Due to the anisotropic permittivity of MWCNTs, the magnetic alignment considerably increased the dielectric loss of the Co-C/MWCNTs composite. Benefiting from the conductive network, the orientation-enhanced dielectric loss, and the synergistic effect between magnetic and dielectric components, the magnetically aligned Co-C/MWCNTs composite exhibited extremely strong EMW absorption, with a minimum reflection loss (RL) of -48.9 dB at a filler loading as low as 15 wt %. The specific RL value (RL/filler loading) of the composite was superior to that of the previous MOF-derived composite absorbers. It is expected that the proposed strategy can be extended to the fabrication of other lightweight and high-performance EMW-absorbing materials.