Reduced Graphene Oxide/Carbon Nanofiber Based Composite Fabrics with Spider Web-like Structure for Microwave Absorbing Applications

Composite fabrics with excellent microwave absorbing performance are highly desired. Herein, reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanofiber (rGO/CNF) based composite fabrics with spider web-like structure were successfully synthesized by electrostatic spinning technique. The spider web-like structure in the composite fabrics provides a connected network for efficient conductive loss of microwave energies. Magnetic loss benefits from the deposited nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) anchored in the carbon nanofibers. Meanwhile, the deposited thin polypyrrole (PPy) layers on the conductive network acts as a protective layer for Ni NPs as well as provides abundant interfaces for dissipating electromagnetic energies, which endow the composite fabrics stable microwave absorbing performance. Due to the synergistic effect of microwave absorbing mechanism, the maximum reflection loss (RLmax) of the composite fabric at 6.72 GHz is − 46.15 dB, and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is as wide as 8.63 GHz (from 9.37 to 18 GHz). What's more, favorable mechanical and heat insulation properties of the composite fabrics reveal its multifunctional advantages. This rGO/CNF based composite fabric demonstrates a new direction for multifunctional and flexible microwave absorbing materials (MAMs).Graphical abstract