PREPARATION AND MICROWAVE ABSORPTION OF MICRO-FIBROUS Fe/C NANOCOMPOSITE

Wide-band absorption with low density is essential for microwave absorbers. We fabricated a novel micro-fibrous Fe/C nanocomposite with bulk density of only 0.47 +/- 0.03 g cm(-3) using carbonized cotton fibers as template. Monodisperse iron nanoparticles with diameter of about 100 nm covered on the fibers and significantly increased the complex permittivity and permeability, and therefore enhanced the reflection loss (RL) for electromagnetic waves. The optimum thickness for the nanocomposite is 1.5 - 1.8 mm, with maximum RL of -14 dB and bandwidth of RL < -5 dB from 10 to 18 GHz, similar to that of Fe/C nanocomposite without using carbonized cotton fibers. Because of its low density and broad bandwidth at thin matching thickness, micro-fibrous Fe/C nanocomposite is a promising light-weight microwave absorber.