One-step electrical explosion preparation of nitrogen-doped graphite and its microwave absorption properties

Graphene exhibits significant application potential due to its excellent electrical conductivity and low density. However, the inability of pristine graphene to satisfy impedance matching criteria limits its application in the electromagnetic wave absorption field. Currently, nitrogen doping can optimize the microwave absorption properties of graphene, but the preparation process is complicated and accompanied by the generation of organic waste liquids that cause environmental pollution. Therefore, replacing graphene low-cost graphite to fabricate carbon-based wave-absorbing composite holds considerable research value. In this study, the nitrogen-doped graphite as electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials were prepared by a one-step electrical explosion method under nitrogen-argon (N₂-Ar) mixed atmospheres with different volume ratios. Experimental results demonstrate the the nitrogen-doped graphite prepared under a 50vol% N₂-Ar mixed atmosphere achieves a minimum Reflection Loss (RL) value of −50.40 dB. When the thickness is 1.30 mm, its maximum Effective Absorption Bandwidth (EAB) reaches 4.24 GHz, and the Radar Cross-Section (RCS) reduction value attains 36.46 dB m². The one-step electrical explosion method for preparing the nitrogen-doped graphite provides a new insight for the design of low-cost electromagnetic wave-absorbing materials.