Facile synthesis of wool-spherical CNTs microspheres/Nb2O5 composites for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption.

Wool-spherical carbon nanotube microspheres/Nb 2 O 5 (CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5) for use as novel electromagnetic wave (EMW)-absorbing materials were successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The unique structure of the prepared composites was found to have a significant influence on the EMW absorption performance. Wool-spherical CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with a 5-wt% ultralow filling load shows significantly improved EMW absorption performance compared to the common carbon nanotubes/Nb 2 O 5 (CNTs/Nb 2 O 5) with two-dimensional linear structure. A minimum reflection loss (RL min) of − 65 dB is obtained for the CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with a thickness of 3.96 mm, and the widest effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 8.32 GHz is achieved at a thickness of 3.65 mm. The wool-spherical CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 could serve as a reference for developing novel application strategies for materials with enhanced EMW absorption. • The CNTMs/Nb 2 O 5 with wool-spherical structure is facilely prepared. • The RL min of − 65 dB and the widest EAB of 8.32 GHz are achieved. • The synergistic effects of multiple loss mechanisms improve microwave absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]