Synthesis of porous carbon-encapsulated MoxC/Co based on NaCl template and ZIF-67 towards enhancing electromagnetic wave absorption

Although molybdenum carbide (Mo _xC) has emerged as an effective absorber of electromagnetic (EM) waves, its practical application is hindered by impedance mismatch and single loss mechanism. Herein, we developed a one-step method for creating NaCl template precursors assembled with ZIF-67 to produce porous multiple components of Mo _xC composites. The Mo _xC-Co/C composites exhibit a minimum reflection loss ( RL _min) of −59.69 dB with a bandwidth of 3.12 GHz at a thickness of 1.50 mm. The RL _min reaches −71.39 dB with a bandwidth of 4.08 GHz at a thickness of 2.09 mm. The flower-like Mo _x C-Co/C composites are capable of improving impedance matching and offering multiple loss mechanisms such as interfacial polarization, dipolar polarization, conductive loss and magnetic loss, resulting in enhanced EM wave absorption. Thus, our work featured a simple strategy to provide a unique insight into fabricating high-performance EM wave absorbers on molybdenum carbon basis.