With the rapid development of electronic technology and modern radar detection system, there is increasingly urgent demand for microwave absorbing composites working efficiently in the low frequency range (e.g., 1–2 GHz). In this work, a type of metamaterial/honeycomb sandwich composite (MHSC) was proposed and fabricated, which exhibited a light weight structure and excellent wave-absorbing performance in the low frequency band. The relationship between the wave-absorbing properties and the design parameters of the composite, such as the thickness of the wave-transmitting skin, the thickness and dielectric properties of the wave-absorbing honeycomb, was systematically investigated. The electromagnetic coupling interference between the honeycomb absorber and metamaterial resonator proved to be a crucial factor that affects synergistic wave-absorbing performance in the low-frequency band. Under the rational design, the incorporation of subwavelength-sized phase-gradient metamaterial units in the composite can significantly improve low-frequency wave-absorbing performance for greater than 5 dB (an increment larger than 100%); and the obtained MHSC exhibits averaged reflectivity (R_a) less than −10 dB in the low frequency band of 1–2 GHz as well as outstanding performance (R_a < −14.6 dB) over an extremely wide frequency range (1–18 GHz). The MHSC reported in this study could be a promising candidate for the key material in high-performance radar stealth and other related applications.

A low infrared emissivity coating was prepared using graphene surface-modified flaky aluminum complex powders (rGO-FAl) as fillers. The flaky aluminum powders were coated with graphene through chemical bonding. Compared with pure flaky aluminum, the Vis-NIR diffuse reflectance of rGO-FAl complex powders was significantly decreased, which was beneficial to the low glossiness of the coating. After the modification, the glossiness at 60° of the coating with 40% (mass fraction) pigments decreased from 12.8 to 6.7, while the coating maintained low infrared emissivity (0.238~0.247) at a spectral range of 8–14 μm. In the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement, at the lowest frequency, the impedance of the Al-rGO test plate was at least two orders of magnitude greater than that of the control Al test plate, and the graphene layer significantly increased the bandwidth of the maximum phase angle, which indicates a good protective effect of the ultra-thin graphene layer on metal in a corrosive environment. The coating with 40% rGO-FAl complex powders can maintain its appearance after 500 h of salt spray corrosion testing. In contrast, the color of the coating with the original aluminum powders changed after only 300 h.

Modified phenylethynyl terminated polyimides (PIs) were successfully prepared by using neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃) via high-speed stirring and ultrasonic dispersion methods. In addition, the structure and properties of the Nd₂O₃-modified imide oligomers as well as the thermo-oxidative stability of the modified polyimides (PI/Nd₂O₃ hybrid) and its modification mechanism were investigated in detail. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) results indicated that the 5% decomposition temperature (Td5%) of the PI/Nd₂O₃ hybrids improved from 557 °C to 575 °C, which was also verified by the TGA-IR tests. Meanwhile, the weight loss rate of the PI/Nd₂O₃ hybrids significantly decreased by 28% to 31% compared to that of pure PI under isothermal aging at 350 °C for 450 h when the added content of Nd₂O₃ was between 0.4 wt% and 1 wt%, showing outstanding thermo-oxidative stability. Moreover, the mechanism of the enhanced thermo-oxidative stability for the modified PIs was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).