Carbon Foam with In Situ Fe-Catalyzed Dense CNT@Graphite Core–Shell Fiber on Skeletons for High-Performance Radar-Infrared Stealth

Abstract

Carbon foams (CFs) with features of ultralow density, high surface area, rich porosity, and mechanical flexibility attract growing interest for wide applications. Herein, a lightweight CF with whisker-like Fe-catalyzed CNT@graphite core–shell fibers on skeletons is synthesized through intermolecular hydrogen bonding and low-rate carbonization methods. The CF displays excellent microwave absorption (MA) and infrared stealth performance. The minimum reflection loss reaches −47.04 dB at 2.00 mm thickness. A remarkable reduction of radar cross section (RCS) of 33.43 dB m² is obtained, and monostatic RCS simulations with actual models are carried out. The cooperative effect of multilosses and enhanced impedance matching is proposed to be responsible for the good MA. Meanwhile, the high porosity and the presence of abundant mesopores endow the CF with good thermal insulation properties at temperatures from 36 °C (human body) to a high value of 100 °C, making it an attractive material for infrared stealth applications. This work presents a potential material for possible stealth applications.