UV-modification of Ag nanoparticles on α-MoCx for interface polarization engineering in electromagnetic wave absorption

Abstract

The design of electromagnetic wave absorbing materials (EWAMs) has aroused great attention with the express development of electromagnetic devices, which pose a severe EM pollution risk to human health. Herein, an Ag-doped MoCx composite was designed and constructed through a UV-light-induced self-reduction process. The UV-reduction time was controlled on the α-MoC polymer for 0.5–2 hours for modifying different amounts of Ag. As a result, α-MoC@Ag-1.5 exhibited the strongest RL_min of −56.51 dB at 8.8 GHz under a thickness of 3.0 mm and the widest EAB of 4.96 GHz (12.16–17.12 GHz) covering a substantial portion of the Ku-band at a thickness of 2.0 mm due to the synergy of the conductivity loss and abundant interfacial polarization sites. Additionally, a new strategy for computer simulation technology was proposed to simulate substantial radar cross-sectional reduction values with real far-field conditions, whereby absorbing coatings with α-MoC@Ag-1.5 were proved to contribute to a remarkable radar cross-sectional reduction of 37.4 dB m².