Tunable Dielectric Properties of Carbon Nanotube@Polypyrrole Core-Shell Hybrids by the Shell Thickness for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

Carbon nanotube@polypyrrole (CNT@PPy) hybrids have been successfully fabricated via a simple in situ chemical oxidation polymerization. The thickness of the PPy shell can be finely controlled in the range of 3.0–6.4 nm. The dielectric loss of core-shell hybrids can be tuned by the shell thickness, resulting in a well-matched characteristic impedance that can enhance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption performance. Minimum reflection loss of the hybrid with moderate PPy shell thickness can reach -51.4 dB at 11.8 GHz with a matching thickness of merely 2 mm. Furthermore, the minimum reflection loss values of the hybrid are below -30 dB even at thickness in the range of 1.4–1.9 mm, endowing the possibility of practical application of the hybrids in electromagnetic wave absorption field.