Sequencing dual dopants for an electromagnetic tunable graphene

Abstract Sulfur and nitrogen dual doped graphene have been extensively investigated in the field of oxygen reduction reaction, supercapacitors and batteries, but their magnetic and absorption performance have not been explored. Besides, the effects of doping sequence of sulfur and nitrogen atoms on the morphology, structure and the corresponding microwave absorption performance of the dual doped graphene remain unexplored. In this work, nitrogen and sulfur dual doped graphene with different doping sequence was successfully prepared using a controllable two steps facile thermal treatment method. The first doping process played a decisive role on the morphology, lateral size, interlayer distance, doping degree and ultimately magnetic and microwave absorption properties of the dual doped graphene samples. Meanwhile, the second doping step affected the doping sites and further had a repairing or damaging effect on the final doped graphene. The dual doped graphene samples exhibited two pronounced absorption peaks which intensity was decided by the order of the doping elements. This nitrogen and sulfur dual doped graphene with controlled doping order provides a strategy for understanding the interaction between nitrogen and sulfur as dual dopants in graphene and further acquiring microwave absorbing materials with tunable absorption bands by varying doping sequences.