In-situ growth of wafer-like Ti₃C₂/Carbon nanoparticle hybrids with excellent tunable electromagnetic absorption performance

A novel kind of wafer-like Ti₃C₂/Carbon nanoparticle (Ti₃C₂/Cnp) hybrids electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing agent with enhanced polarization loss has been designed and synthesized by in-situ growth of carbon nanoparticles (Cnps) between the layers of two-dimensional Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes according to the gradient EM loss and impedance matching design principles. The growth of Cnps between Ti₃C₂ layers takes use of the layered structure of two-dimensional MXenes to form a large number of heterogeneous interfaces, which makes the polarization loss of this hybrid absorbing agent 10% higher than that of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes. The Cnps and TiO₂ particles produced during hydrothermal process together with Ti₃C₂ form a gradient loss model containing high dielectric loss phase (Cnp), intermediate dielectric loss phase (Ti₃C₂) and transmission phase (TiO₂). This unique structure can further enhance the EM wave attenuation ability of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes by improving the impedance matching. The Ti₃C₂/Cnp hybrids mixed with paraffin at 50 wt% demonstrate an optimal minimum reflection coefficient (RC_min) of −47.6 dB at 11.10 GHz with a thickness of 1.75 mm. This wafer-like Ti₃C₂/Cnp hybrids provide an ideal choice for the design of MXenes-based absorbing agents with excellent tunable EM absorption performance.