Synthesis of popcorn-like α-Fe2O3/3D graphene sponge composites for excellent microwave absorption properties by a facile method

Popcorn-like α-Fe 2 O 3 /3D graphene sponge (α-F/3DGS) composites have been successfully fabricated by a novel and facile two-step synthetic route combining template-assisted preparation and co-precipitation method for microwave absorption application. The results show that the popcorn-like α-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles with an average diameter about 150–200 nm are uniformly encapsulated into the 3DGS exhibiting a porous microstructure with plenty of wrinkles. The composite displays the optimum microwave absorption properties with the minimum reflection loss (RL min ) of − 55.7 dB and the maximum effective microwave absorption bandwidth up to 4.42 GHz (12.30–16.72 GHz) when the thicknesses are merely 1.4 and 1.7 mm, respectively, exhibiting greatly enhanced microwave absorption properties compared to those of some 2D graphene-based microwave absorbing materials. The excellent microwave absorption properties are attributed to the synergistic effect between dielectric loss and magnetic loss mechanism and improvement for the impedance matching behavior. This study paves a way for designing and fabricating lightweight and high performance microwave absorption materials based on 3D graphene composites.