Cobalt/nitrogen doped noodles-like carbon nanotubes composites with heterogeneous interfaces for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

Abstract The increasing demand for cost-effective, lightweight, and high-performance electromagnetic wave absorbers has driven development of advanced materials. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of cobalt/nitrogen doped noodles-like carbon nanotubes (Co/NCNT) composites through a straightforward one-step carbonization process. The unique noodles-like morphology of the Co/NCNT composites significantly enhances the electromagnetic wave absorption performance, exhibiting remarkable reflection loss of −76.6 dB in thickness of 3.35 mm, and effective absorption bandwidth of 5.56 GHz. The Co/NCNT composites exhibit good electromagnetic wave absorption performance across the C, X, and Ku frequency bands. Detailed investigations reveal that the outstanding performance of Co/NCNT composites is attributed to the formation of conductive networks and numerous heterogeneous interfaces, which enhance dielectric loss. Additionally, the presence of magnetic Co nanoparticles contributes to achieving optimal impedance matching. Moreover, the Co/NCNT composites demonstrate the ability to effectively reduce the radar cross-section by CST simulation, further highlighting their potential applications in microwave absorption and electromagnetic interference mitigation.