MOF-derived rambutan-like nanoporous carbon/nanotubes/Co composites with efficient microwave absorption property

Nanoporous carbon (NPC) composites embedded with magnetic nanoparticles have been widely studied for applications in microwave absorption. Herein, highly porous rambutan-like carbon composites decorated with controllable carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and Co nanoparticles were synthesized through a thermal decomposition of Co-doped zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) under different temperatures. The MOF-derived carbon nanocomposites with the cobalt content accounting for 30% of the total mass of cobalt and zinc, carbonized at 700 °C, exhibited excellent microwave absorption property of −30.2 dB. Characterizations exhibit that the in-situ generated Co nanoparticles are uniformly embedded into NPC matrix, which are surrounded by highly graphitized CNTs. The research presents a facile and promising route for rapid mass production of metal-doped NPC/CNTs composites for high-efficiency microwave absorption.