Electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of Ag wrapped MXene composite with frequency selective surface incorporation

MXene has become a promising absorbing material because of its advantages of light weight, large specific surface area and special lamellar structure. In this work, Ag wrapped MXene (Ag@MXene) composite powders were prepared by an electroless plating method to achieve excellent absorbing performance. The phase compositions, morphology and electromagnetic properties of the Ag@MXene composite with various contents of Ag were characterized. XRD results indicated the Ag simple substance was successfully reduced from the solution. SEM images showed the Ag particles were coated on the MXene surface, and the silver layer become denser as well as more homogeneous with the rising content of Ag. As the weight ratio of Ag increased from 0 to 30 wt%, the real part increased from 10 to 17.1 while the imaginary part rose from 1.6 to 4.7, which resulted from the gradually formation of conductive network. The sample containing Ag@MXene powders with 30 wt% Ag exhibited the optimal microwave absorption performance. The minimum reflection loss was −29 dB at 9.8 GHz with a thickness of 2.0 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth was about 2.0 GHz. After incorporating with frequency selective surface (FSS), the absorbing performance was further improved and the effective absorption bandwidth reached to 3.96 GHz (8.36–12.32 GHz). The results show that wrapping MXene with Ag nanoparticles and incorporating with FSS can develop a novel absorber. • Ag wrapped MXene powders were prepared by electroless plating process. • Absorbing performance of MXene is improved by decorating with Ag nanoparticles. • FSS incorporation broadens the effective absorption bandwidth.