Ultralight MOF-Derived Ni₃S₂@N, S-Codoped Graphene Aerogels for High-Performance Microwave Absorption

Abstract

To develop high-performance microwave absorption materials with the features of lightweight, thin thickness, broad bandwidth, and strong absorption, an ultralight Ni3S2@N, S-codoped graphene aerogel with a density of 13.5 mg/cm3 has been fabricated by the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to directly initiate the gelation of graphene oxide strategy. In such a strategy, dual-functional 1D Ni-MOF nanorods not only act as the gelation agent but also afford the doping elements (N and S) originated from the organic species and the precursor for metal sulfide. Due to the synergistic effects of good impedance matching and multiple losses, the optimal reflection loss (RL) of as-prepared Ni3S2@N, S-codoped graphene aerogel reaches −46.9 dB at 17.1 GHz with only 2.0 mm and ultralow filling content (1.75 wt%). The maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 6.3 GHz (11.7–18.0 GHz) at 2.38 mm, covering the whole Ku band. Moreover, the value of EAB with the RL less than −30 dB can be tuned to 12.2 GHz (5.8–18 GHz) at the absorber thickness ranging from 1.9 to 5.0 mm. This work provides insight for rational design and fabrication of multicomponent-containing graphene aerogels, showing the potential application in lightweight and high-performance microwave absorption.

Keywords

• graphene aerogels
• Ni-MOF
• Ni₃S₂
• microwave absorption