Tailoring electromagnetic responses of delaminated Mo2TiC2T MXene through the decoration of Ni particles of different morphologies

MXenes are widely considered as potential microwave absorbers due to their dielectric laminar structures. However, pure MXene lacks magnetic loss capability, resulting in mismatched electromagnetic parameters and unsatisfactory impedance matching conditions. Therefore, the approach of MXenes decorated with magnetic elements, inspired by dielectric-magnetic synergy, can address this obstacle. In this work, a rising delaminated Mo2TiC2Tx MXene (d-Mo2TiC2Tx) was synthesized using a combination of HF acid etching and intercalator delamination. Subsequently, spherical and flower-like Ni were loaded on d-Mo2TiC2Tx by different solvent thermal reduction pathways. The microscopic morphology indicated that the abundant functional groups on the MXene surface and the restricted interlayer space can reduce the size of Ni and promote dispersion. Moreover, the flower-like Ni-loaded MXene (NM-2) exhibits optimal absorption performance, and the minimal reflection loss value is –50.36 dB (1.4 mm, thickness) corresponding to 13.28 GHz with a bandwidth of 3.04 GHz. Meanwhile, Ni-loaded MXene can effectively absorb electromagnetic waves in the X and Ku bands (8–18 GHz) within a thickness of 2 mm, attributed to the synergistic effect of enhanced dielectric–magnetic losses, as well as matched impedance and multiple scattering from 2D/2D structures. Thus, the novel Ni/Mo2TiC2Tx powder is expected to be a very promising absorber for thin and powerful wave-absorbing materials.