Core/shell-structured nickel/nitrogen-doped onion-like carbon nanocapsules with improved electromagnetic wave absorption properties

Core/shell-structured nickel/nitrogen-doped onion-like carbon (Ni/(C, N)) nanocapsules are synthesized by a modified arc-discharge method using N2 gas as the source of N atoms. Core/shell-structured Ni/C nanocapsules are also prepared for comparison. The Ni/(C, N) nanocapsules with diameters of 10–80 nm exhibit a clear core/shell structure. The doping of N atoms introduces more lattice defects into the (C, N) shells and creates more disorderly C in the (C, N) shells. This leads to a slight shift in the dielectric resonance peak to the lower frequency side and an increase in the dielectric loss tangent for the Ni/(C, N) nanocapsules in comparison with the Ni/C nanocapsules. The magnetic permeability of both types of nanocapsules remains almost unaltered since the N atoms exist only in the (C, N) shells. The reflection loss (RL) of the Ni/(C, N) nanocapsules not only reaches a high value of -35 dB at 13.6 GHz, but also is generally improved in the low-frequency S and C microwave bands covering 2–8 GHz as a result of the N-doping-induced additional dipolar polarization and dielectric loss from the (C, N) shells.