Anchoring of SiC and Fe3Si nanocrystallines in carbon nanofibers inducing interfacial polarization to promote microwave attenuation ability

Carbon-based nanomaterials are widely employed for microwave absorption. However, reasonable methods to enhance microwave absorption capacity remain worth exploring. Herein, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) modified by silicon carbide and metal silicide (SiC/Fe3Si/C) were fabricated through electrospinning and high-temperature pyrolysis processes, and their phase composition, micro-morphology, micro-structure, and magnetic characteristics evaluated. The composite nanofibers (SiC/Fe3Si/CNFs) exhibited excellent microwave absorption, with minimum reflection loss (RLmin) values of -41.6 dB at 12.8 GHz and a matching thickness of 4.5 mm. Further, the maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL < -10 dB) of the as synthesized sample is 11.5 GHz with a matching thickness of 5 mm. These novel carbide and intermetallic compounds loaded CNFs are remarkable candidates for lightweight, tunable, and efficient microwave absorbers. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier B.V.