Electronic modulation of Ag decorated double transition metal MXene for microwave absorption

This work reports the preparation of Ag-modified Ti 2 NbC 2 T x and Ti 2 VC 2 T x MXene composites via electroless silver plating. Systematic structural and morphological characterizations confirm the well-defined heterostructure and strong electronic interaction at the Ag–MXene interface. Electromagnetic performance tests reveal that Ag integration precisely regulates the permittivity and permeability of MXene, significantly boosting microwave absorption intensity, broadening the effective absorption bandwidth, and enabling remarkable radar cross-section reduction. First-principles calculations further elucidate the underlying mechanism: Ag–MXene orbital hybridization accelerates carrier migration and amplifies interfacial polarization, synergistically enhancing electromagnetic wave attenuation. The optimized composites integrate high conductivity loss, multi-scale polarization relaxation, and superior impedance matching, outperforming pristine MXene in microwave absorption. This work pioneers a metal nanoparticle-induced interfacial engineering and electronic structure modulation strategy, offering a universal pathway for developing highperformance MXene-based microwave absorbers.