Laser‐induced self‐propagating synthesis and electromagnetic wave absorption properties of MoAlB powders.

MoAlB powders with a purity of 96 wt.% were successfully fabricated by a laser‐induced self‐propagating method using molybdenum boride (MoB) and aluminum powders as starting materials under the conditions of an n(MoB): n(Al) ratio of 1.0:1.4 and the laser linear energy density (El) of 0.9 J/mm, and the effect of raw material composition and El on the phase composition and microstructure of the resultant MoAlB powders were investigated. The minimum reflection loss (RLmin) value and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of the as‐prepared MoAlB absorber with a thickness of 5.0 mm were only determined as −12.5 dB (at 16.9 GHz) and 0.9 GHz (16.4–17.3 GHz) in the frequency of 1–18 GHz, respectively. Nevertheless, the RLmin and EAB of as‐prepared MoAlB powders oxidized after 3 h at 773 K increased to −18.59 dB (at 15.82 GHz) and 2.13 GHz (15.22–17.35 GHz), respectively, demonstrating that the as‐prepared MoAlB powders are potential candidates for high‐temperature microwave absorption applications. This study proposes a new efficient strategy for the preparation of boron‐based ternary compounds for high‐temperature electromagnetic wave absorption application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]