Electrostatic self-assembly sandwich-like 2D/2D NiFe-LDH/MXene heterostructure for strong microwave absorption

MXene has great application potential in electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers because of its high attenuation ability; however, self-stacking and excessively high conductivity are major obstacles to its widespread use. To address these issues, a NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH)/ MXene composite with two-dimensional (2D)/2D sandwich-like heterostructure was constructed through electrostatic self-assembly. The NiFe-LDH not only acts as an intercalator to prevent self-stacking of the MXene nanosheets, but also serves as a low-dielectric choke valve to optimize impedance matching. At a thickness of 2 mm and filler loading of 20 wt%, the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value could reach -58.2 dB, and the absorption mechanism was analyzed based on multiple reflection, dipole/interfacial polarization, impedance matching, and synergy between dielectric and magnetic losses. Furthermore, the simulation of the radar cross section (RCS) further confirmed the efficient absorption properties and application prospects of the present material. Our work demonstrates that designing sandwich structures based on 2D MXene is an effective way to improve the performance of EM wave absorbers.

Automated summary

Researchers constructed a NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH)/MXene composite with a two-dimensional (2D)/2D sandwich-like heterostructure through electrostatic self-assembly to address the self-stacking and excessively high conductivity issues of MXene. The composite achieved a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of -58.2 dB at a thickness of 2 mm and filler loading of 20 wt%. The absorption mechanism was analyzed based on multiple reflection, dipole/interfacial polarization, impedance matching, and synergy between dielectric and magnetic losses. The simulation of the radar cross section (RCS) confirmed the efficient absorption properties and application prospects of the material.