Electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of the Nickel/Ti3SiC2 hybrid powders in X-band

•The microwave absorption properties of the Ni/Ti3SiC2 hybrid powders are studied.•The EM parameters of the powders are tailored by changing the Ti3SiC2 content.•The sample with 30 wt%Ni and 30 wt% Ti3SiC2 presents the optimum absorption property.•The study develops the absorber with broad absorption bandwidth and lightweight.

The electromagnetic (EM) characteristics and microwave absorption properties of the Nickel/Ti3SiC2 hybrid powders are studied in 8.2–12.4 GHz.With the enhancement of Ti3SiC2 content, the dielectric loss of the hybrid powders increases while the magnetic loss decreases compared with the pure Ni powders. A favorable microwave absorption property can be obtained by changing the Ti3SiC2 content to tailor the EM parameters. The composite with 30 wt% Ni and 30 wt% Ti3SiC2 powders presents the optimum microwave absorption property. For the composite of 2.2 mm thickness, a reflection loss (RL) below −10 dB is obtained in the frequency range of 8.2–12 GHz with a minimum RL of −41.2 dB at the matching frequency 9.7 GHz. This study contributes to exploring the absorber with broad absorption bandwidth, low density and thin thickness.