Composition and Structural Design of Magnetic Alloy/Composites for High-Performance Microwave Absorption: A Review

Magnetic metals are of considerable importance for stealth technology and electromagnetic pollution control. However, they suffer from inherent limitations, such as the Snoek limit and narrow absorption bandwidth, which restrict their applications in complex scenarios. To address these challenges, this review systematically summarizes the recent advances of magnetic metal-based microwave-absorbing materials (MAMs), focusing on four core directions: alloy design, composite engineering, structural regulation, and preparation technology. The intensity and frequency bands of absorption in alloys are dictated by the material’s composition as well as its structural attributes. Moreover, composite systems incorporating carbon materials, MXenes, oxides, ceramics, and conductive polymers are discussed, where the synergistic design of components optimizes impedance matching and loss mechanisms. Key structural design strategies include core-shell structures, interface engineering, self-assembled hierarchical structures, and macroscopic structural design. These structures achieve the synergistic improvement of thin, lightweight, broadband, and strong absorption performance by enhancing interface polarization, multiple scattering, and resonance effects, while endowing materials with excellent environmental stability. Notably, metamaterial-based designs can further achieve an ultrawide bandwidth spanning 0.3–18 GHz. Additionally, preparation processes are crucial for regulating the microstructure and activating loss mechanisms. This review aims to offer theoretical and practical insights for developing high-performance, multifunctional magnetic MAMs.