We developed two-step solution-phase reactions to form hybrid materials of Mn3O4 nanoparticles on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets for lithium ion battery applications. Mn3O4 nanoparticles grown selectively on RGO sheets over free particle growth in solution allowed for the electrically insulating Mn3O4 nanoparticles wired up to a current collector through the underlying conducting graphene network. The Mn3O4 nanoparticles formed on RGO show a high specific capacity up to ~900mAh/g near its theoretical capacity with good rate capability and cycling stability, owing to the intimate interactions between the graphene substrates and the Mn3O4 nanoparticles grown atop. The Mn3O4/RGO hybrid could be a promising candidate material for high-capacity, low-cost, and environmentally friendly anode for lithium ion batteries. Our growth-on-graphene approach should offer a new technique for design and synthesis of battery electrodes based on highly insulating materials.

Mn3O4-Graphene Hybrid as a High Capacity Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

Lightweight absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are more attractive than conventional reflection-dominated counterparts because they minimize the twice pollution of the reflected electromagnetic (EM) wave. Here, porous Ti2CT x MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite foams constructed by few-layered Ti2CT x (f-Ti2CT x) MXene and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) are fabricated via a facile freeze-drying method. As superior EMI shielding materials, their calculated specific shielding effectiveness reaches up to 5136 dB cm2 g-1 with an ultralow filler content of only 0.15 vol % and reflection effectiveness (SER) of less than 2 dB, representing the excellent absorption-dominated shielding performance. Contrast experiment reveals that the good impedance matching derived from the multiple porous structures, internal reflection, and polarization effect (dipole and interfacial polarization) plays a synergistic role in the improved absorption efficiency and superior EMI shielding performance. Consequently, this work provides a promising MXene-based EMI shielding candidate with lightweight and high strength features.

Lightweight Ti2CTx MXene/Poly(vinyl alcohol) Composite Foams for Electromagnetic Wave Shielding with Absorption-Dominated Feature

Carbon-based composites have gained extensive attention as microwave absorbing materials due to the lighter weight compared with other materials. In this work, Co/C nanocomposites with Co nanoparticles uniformly distributed in amorphous carbon sheets are prepared by a freezing dry and carbothermic reduction process. Hierarchical porous microstructures (micropores, mesopores, macropores) are achieved by ice template and huge amounts of gas during carbothermal reduction. Excellent absorption performance is achieved at a very low Co/C content (10% and 15%), which is a great success to design ultralight absorbers. At 10% content level, the effective absorption bandwidth is 5.0 GHz with a thin thickness of 1.8 mm, while the absorption bandwidth is 4.7 GHz with a thin thickness of 1.5 mm at 15% Co/C content level. The excellent absorption performance is attributed to excellent impedance matching resulting from synergy of cobalt and carbon and strong interfacial polarization induced by the hierarchical porous microstructures. This work provides a new pathway of designing ultralight absorbers with the advantage of thin thickness and wide bandwidth. Excellent absorption performance is achieved at only 10% Co/C content level, a success to design ultralight absorbers.

Hierarchically porous Co/C nanocomposites for ultralight high-performance microwave absorption

Synthesis of fish skin-derived 3D carbon foams with broadened bandwidth and excellent electromagnetic wave absorption performance

Electromagnetic (EM) pollution affecting people's normal lives and health has attracted considerable attention in the current society. In this work, a promising EM wave absorption and shielding material, MXene/Ni hybrid, composed of one-dimensional Ni nanochains and two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx nanosheets (MXene), is successfully designed and developed. As expected, excellent EM wave absorption and shielding properties are obtained and controlled by only adjusting the MXene content in the hybrid. A minimum reflection loss of -49.9 dB is obtained only with a thickness of 1.75 mm at 11.9 GHz when the MXene content is 10 wt %. Upon further increasing the MXene content to 50 wt %, the optimal EM shielding effectiveness (SE) reaches 66.4 dB with an absorption effectiveness (SEA) of 59.9 dB. Mechanism analysis reveals that the excellent EM wave absorption and shielding performances of the hybrid are contributed to the synergistic effect of conductive MXene and magnetic Ni chains, by which, the dielectric properties and electromagnetic loss can be easily controlled to obtain appropriate impedance matching conditions and good EM wave dissipation ability. This work provides a simple but effective route to develop MXene-based EM wave absorption and shielding materials. A universal guideline for designing the absorbing and shielding materials for the future is also proposed.

Promising Ti3C2Tx MXene/Ni Chain Hybrid with Excellent Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Shielding Capacity.

Facile synthesis of hierarchical chrysanthemum-like copper cobaltate-copper oxide composites for enhanced microwave absorption performance.

Lightweight Ni Foam-Based Ultra-Broadband Electromagnetic Wave Absorber

Novel binary cobalt nickel oxide hollowed-out spheres for electromagnetic absorption applications

Defect engineering is an effective approach to manipulate electromagnetic (EM) parameters and enhance absorption ability, but defect induced dielectric loss dominant mechanism has not been completely clarified. Here the defect induced dielectric loss dominant mechanism in virtue of multi-shelled spinel hollow sphere for the first time is demonstrated. The unique but identical morphology design as well as suitable composition modulation for serial spinels can exclude the disturbance of EM wave dissipation from dipolar/interfacial polarization and conduction loss. In temperature-regulated defect in NiCo2O4 serial materials, two kinds of defects, defect in spinel structure and oxygen vacancy are detected. Defect in spinel structure played more profound role on determining materials' EM wave dissipation than that of oxygen vacancy. When evaluated serial Co-based materials as absorbers, defect induced polarization loss is responsible for the superior absorption performance of NiCo2O4-based material due to its more defect sites in spinel structure. It is discovered that electron spin resonance test may be adopted as a novel approach to directly probe EM wave absorption capacities of materials. This work not only provides a strategy to prepare lightweight, efficient EM wave absorber but also illustrates the importance of defect engineering on regulation of materials' dielectric loss capacity.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/advs.202004640

Defect Induced Polarization Loss in Multi-Shelled Spinel Hollow Spheres for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Application.

Electromagnetic wave equipment and devices working at low frequency of 0.5–8 GHz have been extensively used in wireless data communication systems, local area network, household appliances and so on. It is found that the extensive use of such devices have a terrible pollution to their surroundings and moreover threaten the health of human being by weakening biological immune systems, breaking DNA strands, promoting cancers. A key solution to this problem is to develop materials that are able to attenuate the harmful electromagnetic waves pollution. This review aims at summarizing the progresses obtained in conventional materials and new emerging structures for microwave absorption at low frequency. The ultimate aim of these materials is to realize a wider effective absorption frequency bandwidth (fE) at a thinner coating thickness (d). Typical and well-received component and construction of composite, synthesis methods, and fE are summarized in several tables in detail. The different characteristics of different types of absorbing materials are given much attention in this review.

Ming Qin

Papers

Facile synthesis of hierarchical chrysanthemum-like copper cobaltate-copper oxide composites for enhanced microwave absorption performance.

Lightweight Ni Foam-Based Ultra-Broadband Electromagnetic Wave Absorber

Novel binary cobalt nickel oxide hollowed-out spheres for electromagnetic absorption applications

Defect Induced Polarization Loss in Multi-Shelled Spinel Hollow Spheres for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Application.

Progress in low-frequency microwave absorbing materials