Enhanced microwave absorption properties of flake-shaped FeCo/BaFe12O19 composites

In this work, flake-shaped FeCo/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composites were successfully prepared via a facile two-step process involving ball milling and sol-gel treatment. Compared with commonly used FeCo alloys, FeCo/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composite material can achieve remarkable microwave absorption performance, and this is largely because of the flake-shaped structure and dielectric relaxation processes. Furthermore, changing mass fractions of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ enable flexible control of applicable frequency ranges of FeCo/BaFe₁₂O₁₉ composites. It was found that when the BaFe₁₂O₁₉ mass fraction is as high as 20%, minimum reflection loss can reach ?51.22 dB with effective loss of < –10 dB and effective bandwidth of 6.24 GHz even at a thin thickness of 1.45 mm. It is highly believed that these significant achievements will arouse interest from researchers for further practical exploration of microwave absorbers.     

Design of controlled-morphology NiCo2O4 with tunable and excellent microwave absorption performance

In recent years, the high-performance microwave absorbers with strong loss, broad frequency bandwidth, thin thickness and light weight have been intensively investigated to address the problem of electromagnetic pollution and improve stealth technology. Considering the fact that microwave absorption performance is quite sensitive to morphology, studying NiCo₂O₄ with different morphologies is a valuable step towards developing a high-performance microwave absorber. The different morphologies are prepared by adjusting the addition of the structure-directing agent NH₄F. When the amount of added NH₄F is 1 mmol, a flower-like NiCo₂O₄ morphology (NC–F1) is obtained with a large specific surface area of 158.97 m²/g and pore volume of 0.3525 cm³g^-1, which easily generates conductive loss, polarization loss, and multiple scattering, thereby enhancing its microwave absorption performance. The maximum reflection loss reaches −50.3 dB at 3 mm, and the effective bandwidth is 4 GHz with the matching thickness of 2 mm when the fill ratio is only 30 wt% in the epoxy resin. As the thicknesses range from 1.5 mm to 5 mm, the effective bandwidth is 14.2 GHz (3.8 GHz–18 GHz) and covers the entire C, X, and Ku bands. Therefore, the defined-morphology NiCo₂O₄ is expected to be a novel wide-band and strong-loss microwave absorber.     

Construction of core-shell BaFe12O19@MnO2 composite for effectively enhancing microwave absorption performance

BaFe₁₂O₁₉, a traditional ferrite, has always been extensively investigated as a microwave absorption material because of the application value. Herein, the core-shell BaFe₁₂O₁₉@MnO₂ composite was designed and constructed successfully by a facile hydrothermal method. By introducing nanostructured MnO₂, a typical dielectric loss medium, the electromagnetic wave absorption performance is effectively enhanced. The core-shell structure contributes to high interface polarization, thereby promoting the attenuation of electromagnetic waves. In addition, the optimal temperature of the hydrothermal reaction was explored through the characterization of the morphology and the analysis of microwave absorption performance. The result exhibits that the maximum reflection loss of the prepared BaFe₁₂O₁₉@MnO₂-170 reaches -54.39 dB and the effective absorbing bandwidth reaches 4.64 GHz. The simple preparation method and attractive performance make BaFe₁₂O₁₉@MnO₂ a promising candidate as microwave absorbers.     

Multi-phase heterostructures of flower-like Ni(NiO) decorated on two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx/TiO2 for high-performance microwave absorption properties

Three-dimensional flower-like Ni(NiO) decorated on two-dimensional Ti₃C₂T_x/TiO₂ composites were successfully synthesized by an in situ solvothermal reaction, and the electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption performance of the hybrids were explored at 2.00–18.00 GHz. The as-prepared Ni(NiO)/Ti₃C₂T_x/TiO₂ composites include flower-like Ni(NiO) with uniform distribution on the surface of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes and part of them get into the space between interlayers. The Ni(NiO)/Ti₃C₂T_x/TiO₂ composites exhibit a maximum reflection loss (RL) value of ?41.74 dB at 14.96 GHz with the absorber thickness of merely 1.3 mm and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) reaches 3.20 GHz. The outstanding electromagnetic wave absorbing performance can be attributed to the dielectric loss of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes and multi-phase heterostructures, the magnetic loss of Ni(NiO) and their synergistic loss mechanism. Moreover, the zigzag path formed by flower-like Ni(NiO) also has a great consumption effect on electromagnetic waves by incurring the eddy current under the affect of alternating EM waves. The laminated structure of Ti₃C₂T_x MXenes also dissipates microwaves by offering the space for multiple reflections and scattering. This paper furnished a novel modus for synthesizing original EM wave absorption materials and making the balance among thickness, broad bandwidth, oxidation resistance and light weight, which makes Ni(NiO)/Ti₃C₂T_x/TiO₂ composites a hopeful material for microwave absorption (MA).     

Dielectric and microwave absorption properties of CB doped SiO2f/PI double-layer composites

Carbon black (CB) with contents of 5.5?wt% and 15?wt% filled quartz glass fiber reinforced polyimide (SiO_2f/PI) composite were designed and prepared. A double-layer absorbing material was designed using the two composites materials as a matching layer and an absorption layer, respectively. The microwave absorption property of single-layer and double-layer composites is calculated according to transmission line theory. The results show that the microwave absorbing property of double-layer composite is better than that of single-layer at the same thickness. When the 5.5?wt%CB doped SiO_2f/PI composite is used as the matching layer with a thickness of 0.7?mm and 15?wt%CB doped SiO_2f/PI composite is used as the absorption layer with a thickness of 0.9?mm, the RL (reflection loss) of the composite reaches a minimum value of ?46.18?dB at 16.07?GHz. Meanwhile, the bandwidth of RL?≤??5?dB is 5.87?GHz and the bandwidth of RL?≤??10?dB is 3.95?GHz.     

Si3N4-BN-SiCN ceramics with unique hetero-interfaces for enhancing microwave absorption properties

SiCN-based ceramics with broadband and strong microwave absorption properties are desired for the structural and functional integration of ceramic matrix composites. The elemental composition and thermal expansion coefficients of the ceramics matrix crucially affect its microstructure and electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties. BN layer with lower electrical conductivity and higher specific area, exhibits both the impedance matching characteristic and EMW attenuation in the process of multiple reflections, electrical conductivity loss, dipole polarization and interfacial polarization. Therefore, Si₃N₄-BN-SiCN ceramics, which were synthesized using chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) method, construct unique hetero-interface of Si₃N₄-BN, Si₃N₄–SiCN and BN-SiCN. Therefore, the Si₃N₄-BN-SiCN ceramics have outstanding EMW absorption performance and realize an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) that covers the whole X band and the minimum reflection coefficient (RC) reaches -18.43 dB at a thickness of 3.37 mm.     

Targeted design and analysis of microwave absorbing properties in iron-doped SiCN/Si3N4 composite ceramics

The SiCN(Fe)/Si₃N₄ composite ceramics containing C, β-SiC and α-Fe were designed by impregnating polysilazane followed by pyrolysis at 1–5 times with porous silicon nitride matrix. After the heat treatment, these new phases gradually formed and filled in the pores of the matrix to form a large whole. They bond together to facilitate the formation of conductive networks, which can improve the storage and transport capacity of the charge, thus improving the dielectric properties of the material. In this way, the highest dielectric and magnetic loss tangent values were achieved as 0.49 and 0.29 after third and fourth cycles, respectively. The electromagnetic wave can be absorbed ~80–90% in the range of 8–18 GHz with the thickness of 2 mm. The minimum reflectivity was ?12.5 dB at 16 GHz with the thickness of 5 mm, showing >90% electromagnetic wave absorption at this frequency.     

Dielectric and microwave absorption properties of divalent-doped Na3Zr2Si2PO12 ceramics

The work attempted to develop a new kind of high temperature microwave absorption material. Dense Na₃Zr_1.9M_0.1Si₂PO_11.9 (M?=?Ca²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mg²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺) and Na₃Zr_2-xZn_xSi₂PO_12-x (x?=?0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4) ceramics were prepared by solid-state reactions for phase, microstructure characterization and dielectric properties, microwave absorption properties analysis. Results show that the complex permittivity increases in all the divalent-doped Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ ceramics. Na₃Zr_1.8Zn_0.2Si₂PO_11.8 ceramic exhibits the highest complex permittivity and optimum microwave absorption performance. The lowest reflection loss is -28.1?dB at 9.88?GHz and the bandwidth is 4.14?GHz (8.26–12.4?GHz) with a thickness of 2.1?mm. It indicates that Na₃Zr₂Si₂PO₁₂ ceramic can be chosen as a potential candidate of microwave absorption material and the performance can be enhanced by divalent doping strategy.     

Enhanced electromagnetic absorption properties of Fe-doped Sc2Si2O7 ceramics

Doping transition metal elements in a crystal causes distortion and defects in the lattice structure, which change the electronic structure and magnetic moment, thereby adjusting the electrical conductivity and electromagnetic properties of the material. Fe-doped Sc₂Si₂O₇ ceramics were synthesized using the sol-gel method for application to microwave absorption. The effect of Fe-doped content on the electromagnetic (EM) and microwave absorption properties was investigated in the Ku-band (12.4–18 GHz). As expected, the dielectric and magnetic properties improve substantially with increasing Fe content. Fe doping causes defects and impurity levels, which enhance polarization loss and conductance loss, respectively. Fe replaces Sc atoms in the ScO₆ octahedral structure, creating a difference in spin magnetic moments, which increases the magnetic moment. Moreover, the magnetic coupling of Fe and O atoms occurs at the Fermi level, which benefits magnetic loss. In particular, when the Fe content is 6%, the fabricated Fe-doped Sc₂Si₂O₇ ceramics show an absorption property with absorption peaks located at 14.5 GHz and a minimum reflection loss (RL_min) of ?12.8 dB. Therefore, Fe-doped Sc₂Si₂O₇ ceramics with anti-oxidation and good microwave absorption performance have a greater potential for application in high-temperature and water-vapor environments.     

The dielectric and microwave absorption properties of polymer-derived SiCN ceramics

The polymer-derived SiCN ceramics were synthesized at different annealing temperature (900 ～ 1400 °C). The XRD, SEM, FT-IR, Raman and XPS were used to analyze the phase composition and microstructure. The result indicated that the crystallization degree and content of free carbon gradually improved with the increase of annealing temperature. The resistivity, dielectric and microwave absorption properties of the samples were studied at 2 ～ 18 GHz. The resistivity decreased gradually as the annealing temperature rose. The dielectric constant of sample decreased with the increase of frequency in 1 ～ 5 MHz. The existence of free carbon could improve the dielectric properties of polymer-derived SiCN ceramics at high frequency. The reflectance of the sample synthesized at 1100 °C was below ?10 dB (> 90% absorption) in a wide frequency range of 6 ～ 16 GHz and the maximum value of dielectric loss angle tangent was about 0.6 at 16 GHz.     

Dual-phase high-entropy (FeCoNiZn)xV2Oy oxides with promising microwave absorption properties

Dual-phase high entropy oxide (HEO) ceramics (FeCoNiZn)_xV₂O_y were prepared using a simple sintering process. Vanadium oxide was selected due to the characteristics of reduction ability and multiphase transformation under different conditions. The crystal structure, microstructure, elemental chemical state, magnetic property and microwave absorption (MA) properties of HEO ceramics were studied. The results show that the two-phase structure is spinel phase and vanadate phase, and there are oxygen vacancies in the samples. Magnetic properties can be promoted with high content of spinel phase. Lots of oxygen vacancies were found in the sample sintered at 900 °C, which exhibited good MA ability. The minimum reflection loss (RL) of ?36.5 dB was obtained at 10.72 GHz with a thickness of 2.2 mm, while the effective bandwidth reached 2.77 GHz. Large number of oxygen vacancies can speed up the migration of electrons or ions, thereby improving the dielectric loss capability.     

Effect of various dielectric and magnetic nanofillers on microwave absorption properties of carbon fiber reinforced composites structures

Carbon fiber reinforced unidirectional composite (CFRC) structures were developed by impregnating various dielectric and magnetic nanofillers at a 2% loading concentration of the weight of the matrix. Microwave absorption properties were studied in a broad frequency range of 0.1–13.6 GHz covering the L, S, C, and X frequency ranges. The variation of radar absorption properties with frequency were studied in detail. The effect of dielectric and magnetic materials on microwave absorption properties was also investigated. The results shows that the microwave absorption properties increases with increasing the measuring frequency and maximum absorption was at X frequency range (8.2–12.4 GHz). The Dielectric nanoparticles showed better absorption properties compared with magnetic nanoparticles. Among dielectric nanoparticles, silicon carbide showed maximum reflection loss properties of ?15.32 dB with an absorptance value of 97.06%. Among magnetic nanoparticles, ferric oxide showed a maximum reflection loss of ?9.14 dB with an absorptance value of 87.81%. The addition of nanoparticles significantly improved the complex permittivity, permeability, and loss tangent properties.     

Fabrication and microwave absorbing property of WO3@WC with a core-shell porous structure

Special microstructure can significantly improve the microwave absorption property of rare materials. In this paper, porous WC powders were successfully synthesized by spray granulation method. Then, WO₃@WC materials with core-shell porous structure can be prepared after 410 °C heating treatment at different time to form the outer WO₃ oxidation layer. In addition, the microstructure, morphology, phase analysis and electromagnetic property were fully studied by investigating the WC-based materials in different structures. For WO₃@WC core-shell porous materials, when the coating thickness was 2.1 mm, the maximum reflection loss can reach ?19.4 dB at 12.6 GHz, which shows quite good microwave absorbing effects. The core-shell porous structure enhances the original microwave absorption performance due to the multiple reflection reflections and polarizations.     

Effects of Ni2+, Zr4+, or Ti4+ doping on the electromagnetic and microwave absorption properties of CaMnO3 particles

Although CaMnO₃ has been widely studied and used for its thermoelectric properties and giant magnetoresistance effect, little information exists about its application for microwave absorption. In this study, we synthesized CaMnO₃, CaNi_0.05Mn_0.95O₃ CaTi_0.05Mn_0.95O₃ and CaZr_0.05Mn_0.95O₃ with an orthorhombic system using a simple high-temperature solid-phase method. The minimum reflection loss value and effective absorption bandwidth could be efficiently improved due to the enhanced match complex permittivity produced after the Ni, Ti or Zr ions were substituted for Mn ions in CaMnO₃. The minimum reflection loss value increases to ?39.7 dB from ?14.1 dB and the effective absorption bandwidth increases to 4.9 GHz from 2.7 GHz. The magnetic loss results only in a negligible influence on the microwave absorption. The enhancement of microwave absorption properties was primarily due to the stronger polarization effect. When Ni²⁺, Ti⁴⁺, or Zr⁴⁺ is introduced in the CaMnO₃ lattice, the charge balance is broken, and the crystal lattice distortion increases because of the substitutive ions, interstitial ions, oxygen vacancy and exchange effect of Mn³⁺~Mn⁴⁺. The results indicate that CaMnO₃ with reasonable doping at the Mn-site could achieve excellent microwave properties of wide bandwidth, high-efficiency absorption, and adjustable response frequency.     

Effect of carbon shell thickness on the microwave absorption of magnetite-carbon core-shell nanoparticles

Carbon coated magnetite nanoparticles with two different shell thicknesses were synthesized by a facile two-step method using glucose as a source of carbon. At first, hematite nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal process. Carbon shells were coated on hematite nanoparticles by hydrothermal carbonization process, and the carbon coat thickness on particles was controlled by the amount of glucose in the second step. The hematite-carbon core-shell nanoparticles were then heat treated under argon gas flow in order to produce magnetite-carbon nanocapsules. Phase transformation during the heat treatment was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The existence of carbon shell on nanoparticles was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The effect of carbon shell thickness variation on the relative complex permittivity (ε_r=ε′+iε″) and permeability (μ_r=μ′+iμ″) was studied in a frequency range of 1–18 GHz. The effect of carbon shell thickness on the Fe₃O₄-C nanoparticles reflection loss was also studied. The results showed that the microwave properties of the carbon coated magnetite nanoparticles can be controlled effectively by adjusting carbon shell thickness.     

A novel microwave absorption material of Ni doped cryptomelane type manganese oxides

Cryptomelane type manganese oxide α-MnO₂ and Ni doped KMn₈O₁₆ nanostructures were synthesized by water-bathing methods at 80 °C for 24 h using NiSO₄·H₂O as the dopant sources. The structures, morphologies and physical properties were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the products are Ni doped KMn₈O₁₆ nanorods after the introduction of NiSO₄·H₂O during the reaction process. The electromagnetic characteristics and microwave absorption properties of the materials were carried out with a vector network analyzer (VNA) and the transmission line (TML) theory. The dielectric loss and microwave absorption properties of the cryptomelane materials are improved after Ni doping. The thickness dependent reflection loss shows that the peak frequency and effective absorption bandwidth all decrease with the increasing material thickness. With the increase of Ni doping concentration, the peak frequency shifts to higher frequency bands and the effective absorption bandwidth increases. The electromagnetic performance of cryptomelane can be attributed to its unique tunnel structures and the improvement of Ni doping can be due to the enhanced electromagnetic polarization.     

Optimized impedance matching and enhanced attenuation by heteroatoms doping of yolk-shell CoFe2O4@HCN as highly efficient microwave absorbers

Microwave absorbing (MA) materials with yolk-shell structures have been extensively studied in impedance matching. However, the impedance matching achieved by the complementary effect of the core and the shell does not determine the reflection of the microwaves upon the occurrence at the first incidence. The interaction between the outer layer of materials and the electromagnetic waves significantly impacts the MA properties of materials. In this study, the impedance matching improvement method of the shell structure was further explored by preparing CoFe₂O₄@HCN (honeycomb carbon with N-doping) through the hydrothermal method followed by hydrolysis, polymerization, etching, and annealing. The resulting structure with heteroatoms doping provided the novel CoFe₂O₄@HCN with excellent impedance matching and multiple loss mechanisms contributing to MA process. The absorber with a filler loading of 40% exhibited an RL_min of −68.03 dB with a matching thickness of 2.5 mm. The efficient absorbing bandwidth reached 5.92 GHz (a change from 11.92 to 17.84 GHz) at 1.99 mm thickness. Interestingly, these findings look promising for future synthesis and application of yolk-shell structure microwave absorbers.     

Boosted microwave absorption properties of CoFe2O4 with extraordinary 3D morphologies

Due to their strong magnetic dissipation and low cost, ferrites were one of the first generations of microwave absorbers. However, ferrites also have some drawbacks, such as a low natural resonance frequency (f_r), a lack of dielectric loss, and high density. In order to overcome these drawbacks and improve the microwave dissipation features of ferrites, we successfully prepared CoFe₂O₄ samples with flower-like and crochet ball-like morphologies (named as M1 and M2 samples, respectively). Structural and optical properties were studied by XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis light absorption. The microwave performance of CoFe₂O₄ was significantly improved with the reflection loss (RL) of M2 of ?40 dB. Furthermore, M1 and M2 samples achieved an ultra-wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 13 and 12.5 GHz, respectively. It is worth noticing that the EAB of M1 was one of the largest EABs for CoFe₂O₄ that has been reported so far. The excellent microwave dissipation of M1 and M2 samples in the 2–18 GHz frequency range was due to the enhancement of ferrite f_r to the high-frequency range and the introduction of dielectric loss to achieve impedance matching. The flower-like and crochet ball-like morphologies with many pores of M1 and M2 also resolved the high-density issue of CoFe₂O₄. With the relatively good values of RL and EAB combined with low filler loading, thin thickness, and low density, M1 and M2 samples could be expected to be promising microwave absorbers for practical applications.     

The heterointerface of graphene in-situ growth for enhanced microwave attenuation properties in La-doped SiBCN ceramics

The electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials are widely applied to attenuate the useless and harmful EMW generated from wireless communication and 5G networks, which could protect the human health and electronic device safety. In this study, La-doped SiBCN ceramics with broadband EMW absorption capability were prepared via generating abundance of heterointerfaces, as graphene were in-situ grown by La₂O₃ catalyzing. The graphene in-situ formed in the ceramics can be attributed to the La atom decreasing the potential energy of the free carbon ring nucleation from −760.9 Ha to −8984.3 Ha. Consequently, the electrical conductivity of the SiBCN ceramics improved from 12.360 S/m to 18.025 S/m, the minimum reflection loss (RL_min) obtained was −26.48 dB at 7.2 GHz and the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was 6.32 GHz (11.68–18.00 GHz) at a thickness of 1.7 mm. At 700 °C, the RL_min and EAB values reached −43.18 dB and 4.2 GHz, respectively. The enhanced EMW absorbing capability can be attributed to the rationally tailor the heterointerfaces to improve the polarization loss and conduction loss of the SiBCN ceramics. The interfaces between graphene and amorphous phases generate built-in electric fields and space chare regions to strengthen the interface polarization, while the electrons migrating rapidly in the graphene and other crystals improved the electrical conductivity. The positive effect of heterointerfaces regulation of graphene in-situ growth improved the dielectric loss capacity of the SiBCN ceramics; therefore, this study provides a feasible method to enhance the EMW absorption capability of polymer-derived ceramics.