A dilute ferromagnetic ZrO2/carbon nanocomposite derived from a zirconium-based metal–organic framework for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been intensively studied for electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) due to their special structure and rich carbon and metallic sources. MOFs constructed from ferromagnetic metallic ions are frequently applied as precursors in the synthesis of MOF-based magnetoelectric composite absorbers. Considering the large population of the MOF family, the choice of only ferromagnetic metallic ions for the construction of MOF-based absorbers largely limits the broader development of MOFs. Here, a series of dilute ferromagnetic ZrO₂/carbon nanocomposites have been fabricated based on a Zr-MOF (NU-1000), and their dilute ferromagnetic and dielectric properties can be readily tuned by varying the calcination temperature. The combination of dilute ferromagnetic ZrO₂ with suitable dielectric properties of carbon and harmonic impedance matching properties gives the ZrO₂/C_700 nanocomposite with superb electromagnetic attenuation capabilities, with a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) value of −59.69 dB at 2.8 mm and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth (EAB_max) value of 6.44 GHz found at 2.36 mm, covering the entire Ku band. This work provides new insights into the development of non-ferromagnetic-based MOFs as magneto-dielectric coexistence absorbers. In addition, the significant potential of the ZrO₂/C_700 nanocomposite as a high-performance EMA material for practical applications is further confirmed based on the results of radar cross section (RCS) simulations.