Article ID: 2025-030
Electromagnetic wave (EMW)-absorbing materials have received significant attention in recent years owing to their important role in mitigating electromagnetic pollution caused by the increased use of wireless communication devices. SiC is expected to be one of the EMW absorbers because of its excellent properties such as chemical stability, mechanical stability, and high hardness; however, SiC alone does not have high EMW absorption performance. SiC-carbon composites were prepared as high-performance EMW-absorbing materials by thermal decomposition of 6H-SiC(0001) substrates. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the pure and annealed samples were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. Carbon clusters with sizes of several micrometers were formed on the SiC surface after annealing, which formed in an interfacial structure between SiC and carbon and also increased the surface area of carbon. These microstructural changes improved the electromagnetic absorption of the SiC-carbon composite, which was confirmed by transmission attenuation measurements.
