Double-layer absorbers based on Co0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 and Ti3C2Tx composites for microwave absorption through optimal combination

Double-layer absorbers serve the purpose of achieving high transmission efficiency and attenuation intensity in real-life applications. MXene-based composites exhibit huge potential in absorbing electromagnetic (EM) waves. In this work, Co0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 (CNZF) ferrites and Ti3C2Tx/Co0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 (Ti3C2Tx/CNZF) composites were fabricated via a hydrothermal method. XRD, FT-IR, XPS, SEM, and TEM were employed to analyze the composition and morphology of the samples. Specifically, microwave absorption properties of the single-layer and double-layer absorbers composed of CNZF and Ti3C2Tx/CNZF at varying thicknesses, were studied. For the double-layer absorber with CNZF as the matching layer (0.4 mm) and Ti3C2Tx/CNZF as the absorbing layer (2.4 mm), the maximum reflection loss (RL) reached -44.4 dB at 7.6 GHz. This represented an exceptionally strong absorption performance at a relatively low frequency with a remarkably thin total absorber thickness of only 2.8 mm, overcoming the typical limitations of achieving high absorption at lower frequencies which often require thicker absorbers. The optimized double-layer structure demonstrates a practical solution for developing lightweight, thin, and high-performance microwave absorbers. The improved microwave absorption performance can be attributed to enhanced interfacial polarization, multiple reflections and scattering, as well as the rational layer configuration. These findings suggest that Ti3C2Tx/CNZF-based double-layer absorbers are promising candidates for achieving high-performance, thin microwave-absorbing materials.