Study of Electromagnetic Properties of Fabricated NiFe2O4/Polyurethane Nanocomposites

Nickel ferrite loaded (NiFe₂O₄) segmented polyurethane (SPU) nanocomposites prepared by melt mixing method using microcompounder at temperature 185 °C in recirculation mode to ensure proper dispersion and distribution of nanoparticles at optimized residency time of 5 min. Three different weight percentages of nanocomposites (3, 5, and 10 wt %) was prepared and studied the electromagnetic property of nanocomposites obtained from complex permittivity and permeability. The effect of nanofiller (NiFe₂O₄) has been studied to assess their thermal properties using thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermomechanical analysis. The nanocomposites (NiFe₂O₄/SPU) have further been studied using FE-SEM, and the micrographs show embedded NiFe₂O₄ filler uniformly dispersed in SPU matrix without agglomeration (size 20–40 nm). It is also evident that further loading of nanofiller resulted in saturation effect yielding no applicable change in thermal behavior and revealed lesser melting enthalpy due to the coalescence of the nanofillers. X-ray diffraction and vibrating sample magnetometer also support the formation of the nanocomposite. The electric and magnetic properties of NiFe₂O₄ incorporated nanocomposite (NiFe₂O₄/SPU) may have potential application in microwave absorption. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 137, 48645.