Rational Design of Yolk Core-Shell Structure MnO-Co@C Nanospheres for High-Performance Microwave Absorption

MnO-Co@C nanospheres were fabricated by in situ polymerizing and high-temperature carbonizing processes. This unique synthesis method does not require any template or reducing gas. The synthesized multicore-shell structure has a shell of about 500 nm and multiple nuclei of several tens of nanometers. Subsequently, extensive experiments were conducted to adjust the material composition of the nanospheres by adjusting the amount of resorcinol and formaldehyde. The results showed that the obtained material performed best when resorcinol and formaldehyde were added to 0.2 g MnCo2O4 at 0.3 g and 0.42 mL, respectively. The efficient absorption bandwidth (EAB) value reaches 3.3 GHz when the absorber thickness is 3 mm. The reflection loss (RL) is up to −23.8 dB when the frequency is at 8.6 GHz. The unique yolk core-shell structure gives the material a heterogeneous interface, and the enhanced interfacial polarization loss causes the enhanced dielectric loss. The carbon layer with microporosity also causes conduction loss and multiple reflections. The composite structure formed by metallic Co, MnO, and carbon has better impedance matching and improved microwave absorption capability.