Fabrication of Fe3O4-modified lignocellulose composite for microwave absorption via a sol–gel-assisted hot-pressing process

An Fe3O4-modified lignocellulose (FeLC) composite was fabricated via a sol–gel-assisted hot-pressing process and used for microwave-absorbing and structural materials. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles could be formed in situ at the interface of the lignocellulose (LC) during sol–gel and hot-pressing processing. The obtained FeLC composites exhibited good mechanical and microwave absorption properties. The maximum reflection loss values of the FeLC composite reached − 10.97 dB at 17.04 GHz, and the effective electromagnetic wave absorption reached 90%. Compared with the modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the LC composite, the maximum MOR and MOE values of the FeLC composite were 26.50 ± 1.16 MPa and 3.015 ± 0.25 GPa, respectively, increasing by 30.2% and 62.1%, respectively. Therefore, the properties of the FeLC could be enhanced via sol–gel assisted hot-pressing.