A review on carbon/magnetic metal composites for microwave absorption

At present, developing high-efficiency microwave absorption materials with properties including light-weight, thin thickness, strong absorbing intensity and broad bandwidth is an urgent demand to solve the electromagnetic pollution issues. An ideal microwave absorber should have excellent dielectric and magnetic loss capabilities, thereby inducing attenuation and absorption of incident electromagnetic radiation. Recently, various carbon/magnetic metal composites have been developed and expected to become promising candidates for high-performance microwave absorbers. In this review, we introduce the mechanisms of microwave absorption and summarize the recent advances in carbon/magnetic metal composites. Preparation methods and microwave absorption properties of carbon/magnetic metal composites with different components, morphologies and microstructures are discussed in detail. Finally, the challenges and future prospects of carbon/magnetic metal absorbing materials are also proposed, which will be useful to develop high-performance microwave absorption materials.