Recent progress in SiC nanowires as electromagnetic microwaves absorbing materials

Abstract Electromagnetic (EM) interference pollution is a pressing issue with the rapid development of information technologies. To solve this problem, absorbing materials have attached arising attention these years. SiC has potential applications in military stealth and radar absorbing materials for its good absorbing property, broad absorbing frequency band, adjustable electrical property and low density. Moreover, the excellent properties at high temperatures including high chemistry stability, high strength, good corrosion and oxidation resistance make it a promising candidate as high-temperature and harsh-environment absorber. Notably, SiC nanowires (SiC NWs) can consume more microwaves than bulk SiC, because of one dimension (1D) structure, large specific surface area and high polarization loss. In this review, we focus on current research of SiC NWs absorbing materials. The absorbing mechanism of 1D SiC nanomaterials with different microstructures is also introduced. The major influence factors including defects, surface, network structure, thickness and temperature are further discussed. Meanwhile, we also propose the improved methods of SiC NWs absorbers, such as doping nanoparticles, introducing defects and forming the core-shell structure. Based on the improvements, 3D porous SiC NWs composite materials are extensively studied for their outstanding absorbing performance. Finally, the future prospects of SiC NWs absorbing materials are also proposed.