Dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave absorbing performance of single-source-precursor-derived carbon-rich NbC-SiC-C nanocomposites

For the first time, the present work reports the dielectric properties and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing performance of polymer-derived carbon-rich NbC-SiC-C nanocomposites. In our previous work, NbC-SiC-C nanocomposites with the ultra-high temperature ceramic phase NbC as the main phase were synthesized with the allylhydridopolycarbosilane (AHPCS) and niobium pentachloride (NbCl 5 ) as starting materials. On this basis, divinyl benzene was chosen as carbon-rich source and introduced into the AHPCS and NbCl 5 to form a single-source-precursor. Finally, carbon-rich NbC-SiC-C nanocomposites were successfully synthesized by polymer-derived ceramic approach. Compared with ceramic samples without Nb and with lower carbon content, the carbon-rich NbC-SiC-C nanocomposites show extremely enhanced EMW absorbing performance with minimum reflection coefficient of −51.1 dB at 6.88 GHz for the thickness of 2.27 mm. As a consequence, the resultant carbon-rich NbC-SiC-C nanocomposite has to be considered as structure&function integrated material with excellent EMW absorption performance, which can be applied in hostile environment.