Lightweight and compatible metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon-based composites are widely used in electromagnetic (EM) absorption. Their combination with laminated TiO2-C (derived from Ti3C2T x ) is expected to further strengthen the EM attenuation ability. Herein, novel laminated Co/TiO2-C hybrids were derived from Ti3C2T x /Co-MOF using heat treatment. Compared with pristine MOF-derived carbon-based composites, the EM absorption ability of Co/TiO2-C was improved by multiple reflections between multilayered microstructures and the improved polarization loss (due to the heterogeneous interfaces, residual defects, and dipole polarization) and the strengthened conductivity loss caused by the carbon layers. Specifically, for the Co/TiO2-C hybrids at thicknesses of 3.0 and 2.0 mm, the optimal reflection loss (RL) was −41.1 dB at 9.0 GHz and −31.0 dB at 13.9 GHz, with effective bandwidths (RL ≤ −10 dB) of 3.04 and 4.04 GHz, respectively. This study will underline the preparation of carbon-based absorbing materials starting from MXene/MOF hybrids.

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Bimetallic cobalt-nickel phosphides as a microwave absorber with a well-defined 3D hierarchical flower-like architecture featuring the ultrathin 2D subunits are very unusual and rarely reported. Herein, for the first time, we successfully prepared 3D flower-like CoNi-P/C composites with 2D nanosheet subunits via a one-pot solvothermal self-assembled strategy followed by a one-step carbonization–phosphorization process. Interestingly, the chemical composition and electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance of composites are highly influenced by the calcination temperature. As the calcination temperature increases from 300 to 500 °C, the crystal pattern transformed from CoP with nickel ions uniformly intercalating into the lattice to the CoNiP structure. Comparing with CoNi-P/C-400 and CoNi-P/C-500, the CoNi-P/C-300 sample exhibited an optimal reflection loss (RL) value of −65.5 dB at 12.56 GHz with a thickness of 2.1 mm and an ultralow filler loading of 15 wt %. Furthermore, the fundamental EM wave absorption mechanism was proposed. The synergetic effects of dramatical attenuation ability and well-matched impedance endue CoNi-P/C-300 with superior microwave absorption performance. This work may be enlightening in promoting the development of heterobimetallic phosphides in the wave-absorbing field due to their intrinsic magnetism, higher electrical conductivity, as well as eco-friendly traits.

Novel TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites were successfully prepared by a facile one-step reduction approach using stannous chloride as both SnO2 precursor and reducing agent. The Ag nanoparticles with sizes of 2.04–3.94 nm were located on TiO2 matrix and immobilized by the surrounded SnO2. The resulted TiO2/Ag/SnO2 nanocomposites were used as photocatalyst for photodegradation of methylene blue under visible light. The experimental results demonstrated that the visible light photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 was significantly enhanced in comparison with the individual TiO2 or the binary composite (TiO2/Ag or TiO2/SnO2) and the degradation rate was up to about 9.5 times that of commercial TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 composites could be well controlled by simply tuning the dosages of Ag precursor and the optimized activity of the composites was obtained when the dosage of Ag precursor was 2%. Moreover, the TiO2/Ag/SnO2 photocatalyst exhibited high stability for degradation of methylene blue even after four successive cycles.

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Smart windows control indoor solar radiation by regulating the transmittance of light, which is a promising way to reduce building energy consumption. The advent of photonic crystals (PCs) has accelerated the industrialization of smart windows. The combination of static and dynamic regulation can be realized based on the photon control function of photonic band gaps, which is expected to achieve the ideal effect of light transmission and heat control. This paper reviews recent advances of electrochromic and thermochromic smart windows based on PCs. Firstly, theory, materials, performance and development of electrochromic and thermochromic smart windows based on PCs are briefly outlined. Typical structures of electrochromic and thermochromic PCs are introduced in detail, from preparation process, morphology characterization and performance analysis, which provides directions for the future development and construction of smart windows based on PCs. Finally, challenges and opportunities facing next-generation smart windows are summarized.

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