Co/C Composite Derived from a Newly Constructed Metal-Organic Framework for Effective Microwave Absorption

The discovery of efficient electromagnetic wave absorbing materials for solving serious electromagnetic wave pollution is an urgent task. By rational design and assembly, a new three-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF, CPT-1-Co) with the Co ions was constructed and employed as the precursor for the fabrication of Co/C composites via pyrolysis at high temperatures. The resultant Co/C composite pyrolyzed at 700 °C can absorb more than 90% of an EM wave at 2-18 GHz by the alternation of fabrication thickness. The effective absorption bandwidth can reach as high as 5.4 GHz at a thin thickness of 1.7 mm, which is superior to that of most EM wave absorbers. The bottom-up protocol in this report represents the first attempt to pyrolyze a new MOF for microwave absorber fabrication, which will provide valuable insight for designing more advanced MOFs and their applications in efficient electromagnetic wave absorption.