Preparation and microwave absorption performance of a flexible Fe(3)O(4)/nanocarbon hybrid buckypaper and its application in composite materials

Graphene oxide (GO) and carbon nanotubes are promising microwave-absorbing materials. Herein, ferroferric oxide (Fe(3)O(4))/multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and Fe(3)O(4)/GO hybrid buckypapers with excellent flexibility and manoeuvrability were coated on the surface of an epoxy substrate to fabricate microwave-absorbing composites. Fe(3)O(4)/GO buckypapers show a unique layered structure that differs from the complex network structure of Fe(3)O(4)/MWCNT buckypapers. Therefore, the Fe(3)O(4)/GO buckypapers exhibit lower tensile strength and toughness than the Fe(3)O(4)/MWCNT buckypapers, and the minimum electromagnetic reflection loss of Fe(3)O(4)/GO buckypapers is higher than that of Fe(3)O(4)/MWCNT buckypapers. Further, Fe(3)O(4)/GO buckypapers have a wider effective absorption-frequency band than Fe(3)O(4)/MWCNT buckypapers at 2.0–18.0 GHz. Although the mechanical properties of epoxy resin composites coated with Fe(3)O(4)/MWCNT or Fe(3)O(4)/GO buckypapers show a slight deterioration in comparison with those of the epoxy resin substrate, both buckypapers exhibit improved microwave-absorption performance compared with the epoxy resin substrate.