NiS2@rGO Nanosheet Wrapped with PPy Aerogel: A Sandwich-Like Structured Composite for Excellent Microwave Absorption

Roles of TOPO Coordinating Solvent on Prepared Nano-Flower/Star and Nano-Rods Nickel Sulphides for Solar Cells Applications

The present study describes a cheap, safe, and stable chemical process for the formation of nickel sulphide (NiS) with the use of mixed and single molecular precursors. The production pathway is uncomplicated, energy-efficient, quick, and toxic-free, with large-scale commercialization potential. The obtained results show the effect of tri-N-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) as a coordinating solvent on the reaction chemistry, size distributions, morphology, and optical properties of both precursors. Ni[N,N-benz-N-p-anisldtc] as NiSa, Ni[N,N-benzldtc] as NiSb, and Ni[N-p-anisldtc] as NiSc thermally decompose in a single step at 333-334 °C. The X-ray diffraction peaks for NiSa, NiSb, and NiSc matched well with the cubic NiS nanoparticles and corresponded to planes of (111), (220), and (311). The extrapolated linear part from the Tauc plots reveals band gap values of 3.12 eV, 2.95 eV, and 2.5 eV, which confirms the three samples as potential materials for solar cell applications. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique affirmed the quantum dot size distribution at 19.69-28.19 nm for NISa, 9.08-16.63 nm for NISb, and 9.37-10.49 nm for NISc, respectively. NiSa and NiSc show a clearly distinguishable flower/star like morphology, while NiSb displays a compact nano-rod shape. To the best of the authors' knowledge, very few studies have been reported on the flower/star like and nano-rod shapes, but none with the dithiocarbamate molecular precursor for NiS nanoparticles.

Ultralight MOF-Derived Ni3S2@N, S-Codoped Graphene Aerogels for High-Performance Microwave Absorption

To develop high-performance microwave absorption materials with the features of lightweight, thin thickness, broad bandwidth, and strong absorption, an ultralight Ni₃S₂@N, S-codoped graphene aerogel with a density of 13.5 mg/cm³ has been fabricated by the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to directly initiate the gelation of graphene oxide strategy. In such a strategy, dual-functional 1D Ni-MOF nanorods not only act as the gelation agent but also afford the doping elements (N and S) originated from the organic species and the precursor for metal sulfide. Due to the synergistic effects of good impedance matching and multiple losses, the optimal reflection loss (RL) of as-prepared Ni₃S₂@N, S-codoped graphene aerogel reaches −46.9 dB at 17.1 GHz with only 2.0 mm and ultralow filling content (1.75 wt%). The maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 6.3 GHz (11.7–18.0 GHz) at 2.38 mm, covering the whole Ku band. Moreover, the value of EAB with the RL less than −30 dB can be tuned to 12.2 GHz (5.8–18 GHz) at the absorber thickness ranging from 1.9 to 5.0 mm. This work provides insight for rational design and fabrication of multicomponent-containing graphene aerogels, showing the potential application in lightweight and high-performance microwave absorption.

Magnetic CoNi alloy particles embedded N-doped carbon fibers with polypyrrole for excellent electromagnetic wave absorption

Increasing electromagnetic (EM) radiation has driven the rapid development of carbon-based EM wave absorption materials, but the design of light-weight and efficient carbon-based materials remains a huge challenge. Herein, N-doped carbon fibers embedded with CoNi alloy particles (CoNi/C fibers) were synthesized via electrospinning technology and carbonization. Then, conductive polypyrrole-coated CoNi/C fibers (CoNi/C@PPy composites) were synthesized by chemical polymerization. As-synthesized CoNi/C@PPy composites showed outstanding EM wave absorption property due to the synergistic effect between CoNi, N-doped carbon fibers and PPy. The optimal reflection loss (RL) is -68.78 dB (12.90 GHz) with the thickness of 2.43 mm and the low filler loading of 15 wt%. The widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) is 5.62 GHz with the thickness of 2.10 mm and the low filler loading of 20 wt%. The outstanding EM wave absorption property is mainly attributed to 3D network structure, great impedance matching and strong dielectric loss. The results showed that embedding magnetic alloy particles in carbon fibers coated with conductive polymers is an effective strategy for constructing efficient lightweight EM wave absorption materials.

Facile synthesis of polypyrrole nanoparticles with tunable conductivity for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding performance

The exploitation of highly efficient electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption and shielding material is deemed as a valid strategy to eliminate EM radiation/interference. However, it is arduous for a material to...

Nitrogen-Doped Ti3C2Tx MXene Induced by Plasma Treatment with Enhanced Microwave Absorption Properties

Ti₃C₂T_x has microwave absorption (MA) properties due to its dielectric loss, but the absence of magnetic loss capability of pure Ti₃C₂T_x causes unmatched impedance and unsatisfied MA performance. Modification of Ti₃C₂T_x with magnetic particles is an effective way to introduce the magnetic loss mechanism. However, these modified Ti₃C₂T_x particles have higher density and require complicated fabrication processes, restricting the industrial production and functional applications. Here, a low-temperature and simple method of radio-frequency N₂ plasma treatment was adopted to modify Ti₃C₂T_x with N. More interestingly, the N-doped Ti₃C₂T_x flakes demonstrated magnetic properties and thus exhibited drastically enhanced MA properties. The minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of -59.20 dB at 10.56 GHz was achieved in N-doped Ti₃C₂T_x products after only 3 min of plasma treatment, remarkably higher than RL_min of -11.07 dB at 7.92 GHz for the pristine Ti₃C₂T_x. The main mechanism is due to the combination of dielectric loss, magnetic loss, and the good impedance matching in the N-doped Ti₃C₂T_x. Further prolonging the nitriding time induces much desorption of -F and the formation of TiO₂, thus deteriorating the impedance matching and the MA properties.

Impedance Spectroscopic Study of Nickel Sulfide Nanostructures Deposited by Aerosol Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique

This research aims to synthesize the Bis(di-isobutyldithiophosphinato) nickel (II) complex [Ni(iBu₂PS₂)] to be employed as a substrate for the deposition of nickel sulfide nanostructures, and to investigate its dielectric and impedance characteristics for applications in the electronic industry. Various analytical tools including elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, IR, and TGA were also used to further confirm the successful synthesis of the precursor. NiS nanostructures were grown on the glass substrates by employing an aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) technique via successful decomposition of the synthesized complex under variable temperature conditions. XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDX methods were well applied to examine resultant nanostructures. Dielectric studies of NiS were carried out at room temperature within the 100 Hz to 5 MHz frequency range. Maxwell-Wagner model gave a complete explanation of the variation of dielectric properties along with frequency. The reason behind high dielectric constant values at low frequency was further endorsed by Koops phenomenological model. The efficient translational hopping and futile reorientation vibration caused the overdue exceptional drift of ac conductivity (σ_ac) along with the rise in frequency. Two relaxation processes caused by grains and grain boundaries were identified from the fitting of a complex impedance plot with an equivalent circuit model (R_g C_g) (R_gb Q_gb C_gb). Asymmetry and depression in the semicircle having center present lower than the impedance real axis gave solid justification of dielectric behavior that is non-Debye in nature.

Synthesis of ultralight three-dimensional nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/zinc ferrite composite aerogel for highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

Developing light-weight, thin thickness and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers was regarded as an effective strategy for dealing with the increasingly serious problem of electromagnetic radiation pollution. Herein, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/zinc ferrite (NRGO/MWCNTs/ZnFe₂O₄) composite aerogel was synthesized via solvothermal followed by hydrothermal and lyophilization processes. Morphological characterization results manifested that the attained ternary composite aerogel displayed unique three-dimensional porous netlike structure, which was composed of partial stack of adjacent NRGO sheets entangled by MWCNTs and decorated with ZnFe₂O₄ microspheres. Moreover, the influences of complexing with conductive MWCNTs and magnetic ZnFe₂O₄, and filler contents on the EMW attenuation performance of ternary composite aerogel were examined. Significantly, the ternary composite aerogel exhibited notably strengthened EMW absorption capacity in comparison with NRGO/MWCNTs composite aerogel, NRGO aerogel and ZnFe₂O₄ microspheres. The minimum reflection loss (RL_min) was up to -52.6 dB at a thin matching thickness of 1.7 mm and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was 5.1 GHz (12.7-17.8 GHz) under an ultrathin thickness of 1.65 mm with a low filler content of 10 wt%. Remarkably, the |SRL_min| (|specific RL_min value per thickness|) could achieve 30.9 dB/mm, which overwhelmed almost all the reported RGO-based composite aerogels. Besides, the possible EMW absorption mechanisms of as-synthesized ternary composite aerogel were proposed. It was believed that our results provided a valuable guidance for fabricating graphene-based composites with three-dimensional netlike structure as light-weight, thin thickness and high-performance EMW absorbers.

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/cobalt-zinc ferrite composite aerogels with superior compression recovery and electromagnetic wave absorption performance

Graphene aerogels possessing a three-dimensional (3D) porous netlike structure, good electrical conductivity and ultralow density have been widely regarded as a promising candidate for high-efficiency electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption. Herein, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/cobalt-zinc ferrite (NRGO/Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) composite aerogels were synthesized through a solvothermal and subsequent hydrothermal self-assembly two-step method. The results of micromorphology analysis showed that the 3D networks were well constructed through the partial stacking of adjacent NRGO sheets, which were decorated with numerous Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 microspheres. The as-synthesized NRGO/Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composite aerogels have a very low density (12.1-14.6 mg cm-3) and good compression recovery. Moreover, excellent EMW absorption performance could be achieved through facilely regulating the additive volume of ethylenediamine (i.e. nitrogen doping contents) and filler contents. Impressively, the composite aerogel with a doped nitrogen content of 2.5 wt% displayed the optimal minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -66.8 dB in the X-band at a thickness of 2.6 mm and the broadest effective absorption bandwidth of 5.0 GHz under an ultrathin thickness of merely 1.6 mm. Meanwhile, the RLmin of NRGO/Co0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composite aerogels below -20 dB could be reached in almost the whole tested thickness range (1.4-5.0 mm). Additionally, the potential EMW absorption mechanisms were revealed, which was mainly due to the unique 3D porous netlike structure, synergistic effects among conduction loss, magnetic resonance loss and polarization loss, as well as the balanced attenuation capacity and impedance matching. It was believed that this work provided an alternative way for fabricating strong mechanical graphene-based 3D magnetic/dielectric composites as light-weight and high-efficiency EMW absorbers.