Electrochemical deposition of magnetic components on SiC fiber fabric for enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption

Ni 2+ -anchored PDA sites direct NiCo growth on SiC fiber fabrics. • Deposition time drives NiCo from nuclei/clusters to connected networks. • SiC@Ni-Co3 delivers 9.3 GHz EAB at 2.5 mm and -43.55 dB RL min at 2.2 mm. • Interconnected NiCo deposits enhance magnetic interactions among regions. • Dielectric-magnetic loss balance optimizes impedance matching. SiC fiber fabric is a promising lightweight candidate owing to its stability and woven architecture. However, pristine SiC fiber is typical dielectric absorbers and lacks intrinsic magnetic loss capability. Introducing magnetic components onto SiC fiber is an effective strategy. However, existing methods often have limited ability to regulate the growth and distribution, making it difficult to build magnetically coupled networks and thereby limiting the activation of magnetic loss and its matching with the intrinsic dielectric loss of SiC. Herein, NiCo-based magnetic components were controllably deposited on SiC fiber fabric through an electrochemical deposition strategy. Dopamine hydrochloride was used to immobilize Ni 2+ ions as active sites, facilitating the in situ formation and surface-confined growth of magnetic components on SiC fiber. By regulating the deposition time, the magnetic deposits underwent a transition from dispersed nuclei/clusters to interconnected networks and then to dense layers, progressively achieving impedance matching. The optimized SiC@Ni-Co3 sample, prepared by electrodeposition for 2000 s, formed an interconnected NiCo deposit structure that enhanced magnetic interactions among adjacent magnetic regions and promoted resonance-related magnetic dissipation and eddy-current-type loss. This structure enabled balanced dielectric-magnetic attenuation and improved impedance matching. Consequently, SiC@Ni-Co3 delivered an EAB of 9.3 GHz at 2.5 mm and an RL min of −43.55 dB at 2.2 mm. These findings provide useful guidance for engineering SiC fiber-supported magneto-dielectric architectures toward efficient electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA). Electrochemical deposition enables the evolution of NiCo-based magnetic deposits from isolated nanoparticles to interconnected networks on SiC fibers, achieving synergistic dielectric-magnetic losses and enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption. Download: Download high-res image (223KB) Download: Download full-size image