A comprehensive review of the advancement of transition metal oxide nanocomposites for microwave absorption

Microwave absorbing materials (MAMs) have garnered consequential attention due to their multifaceted utilities across the civilian and military domains. Initially conceived in the mid to late 20th century predominantly for military purposes, particularly in the realm of stealth technology. These MAMs have played a pivotal role in mitigating the harmful impacts of electromagnetic waves (EMWs) generated from burgeoning 5th generation wireless systems (5G), which causes the proliferation of EMWs as microwave pollution and healthcare related concerns. Acting as a protective barrier, MAMs shield individuals from EMWs interference. These MAMs comprises on diverse substances, encompassing singular and composite forms, sourced from ferrites, metal oxides, alloys, conducting polymers (CP), and ceramics. These MAMs exhibit exceptional physicochemical characteristics, including high-temperature resilience, a wide effective absorbing bandwidth range (EAB), compatibility with infrared stealth operations, and robustness in harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore, composite MAMs offers sophisticated functionalities as programmable control, optimal EMWs absorption properties, biomimetic structural emulation, and adaptability as intelligent MAMs. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of MAMs, elucidating their applications across various sectors, including military applications, radar detection and stealth properties (2.00–18.00 GHz), infrared-compatible materials (visible, radar, and laser), and multifrequency adaptable stealth MAMs. Additionally, this review article addresses the challenges inherent in MAM design and development, elucidates electromagnetic response mechanisms, absorption calculations, and outlines current and prospective research trajectories in this field.