Construction of heterostructured AgNPs/AgNWs@HCF composites for dual-functional microwave absorption and antibacterial applications

Advancing multifunctionality in microwave absorbing materials through strategic component selection and architectural tailoring is an emerging research focus. In this work, a novel heterostructured composite-silver nanoparticles and silver nanowires anchored on hydrophilic carbon cloth fibers (AgNPs/AgNWs@HCCF)-was synthesized via a polyol process coupled with impregnation. The flexible, three-dimensional HCCF scaffold served as a support matrix for AgNPs and AgNWs, materials known for their outstanding dielectric properties and antibacterial capabilities. Through heterojunction formation, these components were integrated into the carbon cloth framework, enabling simultaneous microwave absorption and antimicrobial function. The heterojunction interfaces contributed to enhanced electromagnetic attenuation by tuning the balance between conduction and polarization losses, while also promoting better impedance matching. Notably, sample S2 achieved a peak reflection loss of -53.19 dB at a thickness of 2.86 mm and offered a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 5.36 GHz at 3.50 mm. In addition, the maximum radar cross-sectional reduction reached 35.21 dB·m2 at 0°. The antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were 99.40% and 99.93%, respectively.