Preparation of pleated RGO/MXene/Fe₃O₄ microsphere and its absorption properties for electromagnetic wave

In this work, three-dimensional (3D) pleated RGO/MXene/Fe₃O₄ microspheres (FMCM) are successfully fabricated by simple and rapid ultrasonic spray technology. Reduced graphene (RGO), MXene nanosheets and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles are properly assembled together to achieve comprehensive advantages. The microspheres exhibit large specific surface area and hierarchical pores. According to the comparison of wave absorbing properties, the optimal dosage ratio of graphene oxide (GOx) to MXene is first determined and the mass ratio is 4:1. FMCM with different Fe₃O₄ content are obtained through adjusting the ratio of GOx, MXene and Fe₃O₄. The materials not only exhibit satisfactory impedance matching, but also achieve effective synergy between magnetic and dielectric loss. As the mass of Fe₃O₄ is 0.8 times that of MXene and GOx, FMCM-3 show the best wave absorbing performance. The minimum reflection loss is −51.2 dB@11.1 GHz, the thickness is only 2.9 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth is 4.7 GHz. The effective absorption bandwidth reaches 6.5 GHz@14.4 GHz. The research on the wave absorbing mechanism shows the excellent wave absorbing performance of FMCM benefits from the 3D porous structure and reasonable material composition. The synthesis of FMCM provides an effective method for designing new microwave absorbents with high performance.