Graphene-wrapped pine needle-like cobalt nanocrystals constructed by cobalt nanorods for efficient microwave absorption performance

Magnetic metal nanocrystals tend to be advanced microwave absorption substances as they possess simultaneous dielectric and magnetic losses. In this study, the metallic cobalt (Co) nanocrystals with a pine needle-like nanostructure constructed by one-dimensional Co nanorods have been successfully prepared through the polyol approach. By regulating the amount of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), rGO/Co nanocomposites with different mass ratios were acquired. Experimental results demonstrate that the rGO/Co nanocomposites display excellent microwave attenuation capacity. The minimum reflection loss value can reach −57.8 dB at 12.43 GHz with a filler loading of 20 wt% at 1.8 mm. Moreover, the effective absorption bandwidth covers the frequency range of 4.2–15.5 GHz with an integrated thickness of 1.5–4.0 mm. The main absorption mechanisms include dielectric loss caused by dipole and interfacial polarization and magnetic loss arising from ferromagnetic resonance and eddy current loss. In addition, the special nanostructure effect is also beneficial to improve the EM wave absorption performance.