The synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) polydopamine-functioned carbonyl iron powder@polypyrrole (CIP@PPy) aerogel composites for excellent microwave absorption

Novel 3D CIP@PPy aerogel composites were synthesized through a self-assembled polymerization method using dopamine as intermediary. The 3D CIP@PPy aerogel composites were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The absorption properties were investigated by a vector network analyzer (VNA) in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. For the CIP@PPy 33 wt% aerogel, the RLs show two strong absorption peaks values of -38.9 and -39.5 dB at 12.2 GHz and 14.2 GHz under the thickness of 2.2 mm, respectively, and the bandwidth can reach 6.1 GHz. The CIP@PPy aerogel composites would be a promising candidate as microwave absorption materials (MAMs) with strong absorption, wide frequency band and lightweight. The improvement of microwave absorbing properties can be attributed to interfacial polarization and geometry effect. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.