Controllable synthesis of flower-like ZnO modified by CuO nanoparticles/N-RGO composites for efficient microwave absorption properties

Abstract To improve the absorbing performance of the material, fully utilizing the interfacial polarization is an effective strategy for fabricate microwave absorbing materials. This study constructs flower-like ZnO modified by CuO nanoparticles/N-RGO composites through hydrothermal and subsequent heat treatment. Flower-like ZnO was fabricated by hydrothermal self-assembly of ZnO nanosheets. Due to the petals of ZnO provided a large surface area, the CuO nanoparticles uniformly modified on the flower-like ZnO petals. Meanwhile, the N-RGO was added to further improve the dielectric loss and polarization loss of the composites. The rich interface was rational designed by modifying CuO nanoparticles and adding N-RGO to regulate the microwave absorption properties. The flower-like ZnO modified by CuO nanoparticles/N-RGO composite showed considerable absorbing performance, with the bandwidth (≤−10 dB) was 2.8 GHz as the thickness was 2.8 mm. This work will provide a significant guidance for the design absorbing materials with special structure.