Sustainable Synthesis of Wood-Derived Biomass Carbon Loaded with Co3O4 Nanoparticles with Excellent Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance

Biomass-derived carbon-based electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers have attracted significant attention for their abundant availability and environmentally friendly characteristics. A novel strategy combining biomass templates with a ZIF-67-assisted approach was developed to fabricate Co3O4@C composites via pyrolysis. This work demonstrates that the intrinsic structure of biomass templates can be effectively leveraged to regulate both the microstructure and the electromagnetic properties of the resulting composites, enabling tunable microwave absorption performance. Among the prepared samples, M3 exhibits the lowest reflection loss (RL) of −54.79 dB at a thickness of 4.61 mm, and achieves an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 3.43 GHz at 2.82 mm. This superior performance originates from the synergistic optimization of impedance matching and the coupling of dielectric and magnetic loss mechanisms. The porous biomass-derived carbon framework not only enhances multiple scattering and impedance matching but also provides abundant interfaces to induce strong interfacial and dipole polarization. Meanwhile, the uniform in situ growth of ZIF-67-derived Co3O4 nanoparticles introduces enhanced magnetic loss through exchange resonance, while structural defects further promote multiple dielectric relaxation processes. This study presents a novel waste-to-value strategy for the rational design of hierarchical composite absorbers, offering high-performance EMW absorption while demonstrating a low-cost, environmentally friendly, and scalable route for converting natural wood waste into functional materials. This work not only provides new insights into constructing high-performance, lightweight, and cost-effective EMW-absorbing materials but also aligns with the principles of sustainable development, resource efficiency, and green chemistry.