Nickel-cobalt bimetallic sulfide nanowire arrays anchored on carbon cloth as high-efficiency and flexible electromagnetic wave absorber

As communication technologies advance and flexible electronic devices become increasingly prevalent, there is a growing need for flexible and efficient absorbing materials. Carbon cloth (CC) is distinguished by its excellent flexibility and mechanical properties. In this work, we adjusted the electromagnetic parameters and impedance matching of CC by constructing heterogeneous interfaces and introducing defects, anchoring NiCo 2 S 4 (NCS) on the flexible CC framework. The reaction conducted at high temperatures promotes the formation of sulfur vacancies in NCS, enhancing its ability to capture electromagnetic waves due to the unique morphology of the nanowires. Furthermore, the attachment of NCS to the CC surface introduces additional defects and creates numerous heterogeneous interfaces. The NCS@CC sample with a filling ratio of 10 % achieved a minimum reflection loss of −60.22 dB and an effective bandwidth of 6.2 GHz at the thickness of 1.87 mm. Radar Cross Section (RCS) simulations demonstrate the sample's strong capability to reduce RCS values, with an average RCS value of −21 dBm². The synergistic effect of NCS with CC increases the multiple reflections of EMW, facilitating EMW dissipation through conductive loss, interfacial polarization, and dipole polarization. This research provides novel insights into the development of flexible and high-efficiency EMW absorbing materials. • NiCo 2 S 4 nanowire arrays were anchored onto carbon cloth using hydrothermal and gas-solid reactions. • Design a simple high-temperature sulfurization step to synthesize NCS with sulfur vacancy defects. • Lightweight, high-efficient electromagnetic wave absorbers were developed using heterointerfaces and defect engineering.