Novel two-dimensional Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids with enhanced microwave absorption properties

Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids were successfully prepared through in situ hydrothermal assembly of Ni spheres on Ti3C2Tx layer, and then the electromagnetic wave absorbing materials were investigated in the range of 2–18 GHz. The as-synthesized Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids contain uniformly distributed Ni spheres on the edge of Ti3C2Tx layer and some of them enter the interspace between individual lamella. The Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids show an optimal reflection loss of −47.06 dB with the thickness of 1.5 mm at 12.4 GHz. The effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 3.6 GHz. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing properties can be explained in two ways. First is the conduction loss and dielectric loss of Ti3C2Tx and the second is the magnetic loss of Ni, in addition, the laminated structure could also enhance the microwave absorbing properties by the strong multi-reflections and scattering between MXene layers. The work of this article not only provides a new method for preparing novel electromagnetic wave absorbers, but also fine balance among small thickness, broad range band, and lightweight of the Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids, which makes Ti3C2TX/Ni-spheres hybrids a promising materials for electromagnetic wave absorption application.