Green-prepared high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C composites and related broadband absorption device

•Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C composites are prepared from glucose, an eco-friendly material.•EAB can reach 7.12 GHz at the thickness of 2.04 mm and RLmin is −56.68 dB at 5.43 GHz.•We designed absorber and the results showed that the microwave absorber can achieve an average EMW loss of more than 99 % in the 0.3–16.04 GHz frequency band and an average EMW loss in the 16.04–18 GHz frequency band is more than 90 %. In recent years, the synthesis of absorbing materials using green and environmentally friendly natural raw materials have become a research topic, but green and environmentally friendly materials with both high performance and simple synthesis steps still need to be developed. In this work, glucose and metal organic framework (MOF) were used to prepare composite materials with strong absorbing ability and low cost. We chose glucose, which is convenient to purchase on the market, as the raw material and constructed MOF derivatives with carbon shell skeleton nanostructures through a simple method of hydrothermal and annealing. Compared to the raw materials of traditional absorbing materials, glucose has environmentally friendly, low-cost and green characteristics. We characterized the microstructure and morphology of the material. In addition, we also analyzed the material composition and absorption mechanism of Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C. We have found from the theoretical analysis and simulation results of transmission lines that the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value of Ni6W6C/Co2O3@C material at 5.43 GHz and 4.76 mm is −56.68 dB. And the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) at 2.04 mm can reach 7.12 GHz. We load the best sample to the honeycomb structure, a broadband microwave absorber was designed for simulation. The results show that the broadband microwave absorber can achieve an average electromagnetic wave (EMW) loss of more than 99 % in the 0.3–16.04 GHz frequency band (RL value is less than −20 dB), and an average EMW loss of more than 90 % in the 16.04–18 GHz frequency band (RL value less than −10 dB). The composite structure of glucose and MOF derivatives enhances the dielectric loss of the material and enriches various EMW loss mechanisms. Finally, a green, environmental-friendly, high-performance absorbing material with a simple synthesis method is prepared. These results provide insights into the research on EMW absorption of composite materials and new methods for referring.