Fabrication, superhydrophobicity, and microwave absorbing properties of the magnetic γ-Fe2O3/bamboo composites

• Superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3/bamboo composite was successfully fabricated.
• The composite treated by FAS-17 exhibited superhydrophobicity with a WCA of 161°.
• The composite with magnetism and superhydrophobicity still remained in harsh conditions.
• The reflection loss of superhydrophobic γ-Fe2O3/bamboo composite reached − 6.0 dB.

Magnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles were successfully deposited on the surface of the bamboo via a coprecipitation process at room temperature. Spherical-like magnetic γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles with a diameter of about 17 nm displayed well superparamagnetic behavior and were chemically bonded to the bamboo surface through the combination of hydrogen groups. With further modification by 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyltri ethoxysilane (FAS-17), magnetic γ-Fe2O3/bamboo composites (MBCs) expressed superhydrophobic performances to not only water but also common liquids like coffee, milk, ink, tea, and coke. When immersed into the corrosive solutions including strong acid (pH = 1), heavy alkaline (pH = 14), and salt with high concentration (5 M) for 24 h, superhydrophobic magnetic γ-Fe2O3/bamboo composites (SMBC) still remained magnetism as well as superhydrophobicity. Also, under harsh conditions like boiled at 100 °C for 4 h, frozen at − 40 °C for 24 h, SMBCs were kept a robust magnetism and superhydrophobicity. Additionally, SMBC was a typical ferromagnet and exhibited some microwave absorbabilities.

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