Design of amorphous/nanocrystalline turing structures in ZrO₂/C nanofibers for enhanced microwave absorption performance

With the growing prominence of electromagnetic pollution, the development of lightweight, flexible, and highly efficient electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption materials has become an important research focus. Inspired by biological Turing structures, this study successfully prepares novel flexible ZrO₂/C nanofibers with a spotted reaction-diffusion pattern via a controlled oxidation strategy from preformed ZrC/C nanofibers. The ZrO₂/C nanofibers sample contains ZrO₂ particles embedded within a carbon matrix, which contributes to the formation of numerous heterogeneous interfaces. Furthermore, both the ZrO₂ and carbon matrix exhibit a mixed amorphous-nanocrystalline structure, thereby enhancing interfacial diversity and density. The ZrO₂/C Turing structural characteristic enhances impedance matching in the nanofibers and significantly improves the polarization loss capability. The obtained novel nanofibers achieve a minimum reflection loss of −59.20 dB, a maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 5.84 GHz, and require a matching thickness of only 2.39 mm. Computer simulation technology (CST) simulations indicate a maximum radar cross-section reduction of 34.94 dB m², highlighting the material’ s radar stealth capability. The study provides a new strategy for designing lightweight and high-performance fiber-based EMW absorption materials.