Microwave

Nanocages

Quantum mechanics

Catalysis

Composite number

Engineering

Pyrolysis

Materials science

Carbide

Absorption (acoustics)

Biochemistry

Carbon fibers

Chemical engineering

Physics

Nanotechnology

Microstructure

Composite material

Chemistry

Carbothermic reaction

Optoelectronics

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

Lightweight and high-efficiency microwave attenuation are two major challenges in the exploration of carbon-based absorbers, which can be achieved simultaneously by manipulating their chemical composition, microstructure, or impedance matching. In this work, core-shell CoNi@graphitic carbon decorated on B,N-codoped hollow carbon polyhedrons has been constructed by a facile pyrolysis process using metal-organic frameworks as precursors. The B,N-codoped hollow carbon polyhedrons, originated from the calcination of Co-Ni-ZIF-67, are composed of carbon nanocages and BN domains, and CoNi alloy is encapsulated by graphitic carbon layers. With a filling loading of 30 wt %, the absorber exhibits a maximum RL of -62.8 dB at 7.2 GHz with 3 mm and the effective absorption bandwidth below -10 dB remarkably reaches as strong as 8 GHz when the thickness is only 2 mm. The outstanding microwave absorption performance stems from the hollow carbon polyhedrons and carbon nanocages with interior cavities, the synergistic coupling effect between the abundant B-C-N heteroatoms, the strong dipolar/interfacial polarizations, the multiple scatterings, and the improved impedance matching. This study demonstrates that the codoped strategy provides a new way for the rational design of carbon-based absorbers with lightweight and superior microwave attenuation.

Core–Shell CoNi@Graphitic Carbon Decorated on B,N-Codoped Hollow Carbon Polyhedrons toward Lightweight and High-Efficiency Microwave Attenuation