A 3D flower-like Fe3O4@PPy composite with core-shell heterostructure as a lightweight and efficient microwave absorbent

In this study, a 3D flower-like ferroferric oxide @ polypyrrole (Fe3O4@PPy) composite with core-shell heterostructure was successfully fabricated via solvothermal treatment and polymerization. The optimized Fe3O4@PPy composites exhibited superior microwave absorbing properties via reasonable structural design and conductive loss regulation by varying PPy proportion. With a thickness of 2.08 mm, the fabricated Fe3O4@PPy composite material exhibited a maximum absorption frequency bandwidth of 6.00 GHz (12.00–18.00 GHz). The good absorption performance of the 3D flower-like core-shell Fe3O4@PPy was attributed to the heterostructures and impedance matching between Fe3O4 and PPy, which introduced more magnetic-dielectric cooperative effects, the interface polarization, tailored conduction, and the extension of electromagnetic (EM) wave transmission path. Therefore, constructing a 3D core-shell flower-like heterostructure is a promising strategy for improving electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) performance.