Abstract: The composite powders of tetrapod-shaped ZnO whiskers (T-ZnO whiskers) coated with Cu shell were prepared by electroless plating technique. The components and morphology of the powders were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. It was demonstrated that the pure zinc oxide powders had a hexagonal structure and the chemical composition of the coated layer was copper. The whiskers were tetrapod-shaped structure. The electromagnetic parameters of the powders were measured with varying shell thickness. It was shown that the absorption Cu/T-ZnO towards microwaves increased significantly.

Key words: T-ZnO whiskers, Electroless copper plating, Electromagnetic performance