Self-assembly three-dimensional porous carbon network for efficient dielectric attenuation.

Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks (ZIF-8) derived ZnO/nanoporous carbon (NPC) aligned in three-dimensional porous carbon network (3DPCN) is designed to form multi-porous network nanostructure to absorb electromagnetic waves. The porous 3DPCN structure acts as the electronic pathway as well as the nucleation locus for ZIF-8 particles. Meanwhile, the conductive networks could also provide more routes for electron transfer. With good impedance matching and attenuation characteristics, ZnO@NPC/3DPCN shows enhanced microwave response where the minimum reflection loss (RL) of -35.7 dB can be achieved with 10 wt% filler. Our study not only exploits the new system of lightweight absorbers but also further reveals the changing of electromagnetic parameters and absorbing properties by heat-treatment, which may lead to a new way to design novel lighter multi-porous network nanostructures.