Cobaltosic oxide fiber/Carbon Fiber composites fabricated by hydrothermal for improved electromagnetic interference shielding properties

In this paper, a newly designed composite of magnetic nano-Co3O4 fiber coated on carbon fiber (Cf) is prepared and characterized for the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties. XRD, SEM and TEM are used to investigate the micromorphology and microstructure evolution during the preparation. By hydrothermal method, the flowerlike clusters of single crystal flake-Co(OH)2 are first obtained on Cf. The firstly prepared Co(OH)2 sheets then turn into Co3O4 fibers during the next calcination step. The continuous and loose coating of magnetic Co3O4 nanofibers is finally obtained on the Cf. The loose coating is in proportion to the weight loss, and the wirelike Co3O4 is good for the interface strength for the Cf composite preparation. Based on the above work, the loose magnetic fibers coating on the Cf could be a feasible composite structure for the EMI composite materials integrated with absorbing and reflecting.