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Hierarchical construction of CNT networks in aramid papers for high-efficiency microwave absorption

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Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated polymeric composites have been extensively investigated for microwave absorption at target frequencies to meet the requirement of radar cross-section reduction. In this work, a strategy of efficient utilization of CNT in producing CNT incorporated aramid papers is demonstrated. The layer-by-layer self-assembly technique is used to coat the surfaces of meta-aramid fibers and fibrils with CNT, providing novel raw materials available for the large-scale papermaking. The hierarchical construction of CNT networks resolves the dilemma of increasing CNT content and avoiding the agglomeration of CNT, which is a frequent challenge for CNT incorporated polymeric composites. The composite paper, which contains abundant heterogeneous interfaces and long-range conductive networks, is capable of reaching a high permittivity and dielectric loss tangent at a low CNT loading, and its complex permittivity is, so far, adjustable in the range of (1.20–j0.05) to (25.17–j18.89) at 10 GHz. Some papers with optimal matching thicknesses achieve a high-efficiency microwave absorption with a reflection loss lower than −10 dB in the entire X-band.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U21A2093). This work is partially financed by the Polymer Electromagnetic Functional Materials Innovation Team of Shaanxi Sanqin Scholars.

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Author notes

  1. You Wu and Li Chen contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Optoelectronics, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    You Wu, Haihong Xu, Guanze Yu & Wenbo Ju

  2. School of Light Industry and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Li Chen

  3. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Science and Technology, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, China

    Yixuan Han, Panbo Liu & Junwei Gu

  4. School of Emergent Soft Matter, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    Yingying Wang & Tao Wen

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  1. You Wu
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  2. Li Chen
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Correspondence to Wenbo Ju or Junwei Gu.

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Wu, Y., Chen, L., Han, Y. et al. Hierarchical construction of CNT networks in aramid papers for high-efficiency microwave absorption. Nano Res. 16, 7801–7809 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5522-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5522-4

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