Electromagnetic absorption properties of graphene/Fe nanocomposites

Abstract Graphene (G)/Fe nanocomposites with ferromagnetic properties at room temperature were fabricated by a facile and green method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) amylases reveal that the α-Fe nanoparticles with a diameter of only about 10 nm were uniformly dispersed over the surface of the graphene sheets. Compared with other magnetic materials and the graphene, the nanocomposites exhibited significantly enhanced electromagnetic absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss to electromagnetic wave was up to −31.5 dB at a frequency of 14.2 GHz for G/Fe nanocomposites with a thickness of 2.5 mm. Importantly, the addition of the nanocomposites is only about 20 wt.% in the matrix. The enhanced mechanism is discussed and it is related to high surface areas of G/Fe nanocomposites, interfacial polarizations between graphene and iron, synergetic effect and efficient dispersity of magnetic NPs.