Carbon onions for electromagnetic applications

Electromagnetic (EM) absorption properties of a novel nanocarbon material - onion-like carbon (OLC) produced by annealing of detonation nanodiamonds (ND) in vacuum - have been studied in low-frequency, microwave and THz frequency ranges. It was proved experimentally that OLC EM absorption capacity can be optimized by varying the nanocarbon cluster size and ND annealing temperature so that effective EM coatings can be produced. Both the experimental observations and theoretical simulations demonstrate that small additions of OLC particles to a polymer host can noticeably modify the composite response to EM radiation. Open problems for a correct theoretical modeling of the EM response of such a complex composite are also discussed.