Interfacial modulation of organic-inorganic two-dimensional superlattices for efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

[Display omitted] •Preparation of PANI-V2O5 organic-inorganic superlattice structures for electromagnetic wave absorption.•Constructing molecular-level heterogeneous interfaces to enhance the interfacial polarization.•DFT calculations and finite element simulations reveal the electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism.•A remarkable effective absorption bandwidth of 6.40 GHz at 2.1 mm was obtained. Conventional strategies used to develop broadband electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials have mainly focused on multi-component hybrid materials. In these materials, attenuation of EMW absorption is achieved through strong interfacial polarization at heterogeneous interfaces. However, these interfaces have most often been on the micron scale and, therefore, they have many inherent defects. Herein, we devised a new approach in which an organic-inorganic superlattice structure composite is employed to achieve hyperpolarization loss by modulating the heterogeneous interface between a V2O5 layer and PANI at the molecular scale. Amplification of interfacial polarization effects at heterogeneous interfaces between materials by exploiting large differences in physical properties between the non-conducting V2O5 phase and the conducting PANI phase. Synergy between conductive losses and polarization losses is achieved by optimizing the thickness of the conductive phase PANI layer, which contributes to an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.40 GHz at a thickness of 2.1 mm. The results of experimental and theoretical studies clearly show that the superlattice structure is responsible for the unique microwave absorption properties. Thus, the construction of heterogeneous interfaces at the molecular scale will serve as the basis for designing future broadband absorbing materials.