Design and synthesis of TiO2/Co/carbon nanofibers with tunable and efficient electromagnetic absorption

Carbon materials are widely used for electromagnetic wave absorption. However, to find out a more rational approach to improve the electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance is still worthy of attention. In this work, the carbon nanofibers (CNFs) decorated by titanium oxide and metallic cobalt (TiO2/Co/CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning and carbonizing process, and the microtopography, structure, composition and magnetic properties of which were characterized in detail. The TiO2/Co/CNFs nanocomposites acquired optimal electromagnetism parameters and exhibited superb electromagnetic wave absorption property. The results showed that the minimum reflection loss (RL) values of TiO2/Co/CNFs samples with different filling ratios are less than - 50 dB with the matching thickness less than 3.5 mm. The maximum effective absorption bandwidths (RL <= -10 dB) exceed 5.2 GHz. Besides, the strong absorption frequency range can be regulated by adjusting filling ratios to broaden the application. This work provides a unique approach to design carbon nanofibers loaded with oxides or metals, and the TiO2/Co/CNFs nanocomposites could be an ideal candidate as light-weight and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption materials and the tunable absorption property portend the potential application in various environmental conditions.