Facile preparation and enhanced electromagnetic wave absorption properties of Fe3O4 @PVDF nanocomposite

Abstract

Fabrication and investigation of microwave absorbing materials have been widely explored to mitigate the emerging EM pollution. In this study, we prepared magnetite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles via a rare facile sol–gel method followed by a calcination process. Then, Fe3O4 and polyvinylidene fluoride (Fe3O4@PVDF) nanocomposite were prepared and the electromagnetic wave absorption (EMWA) properties were studied using the finite element method. Characterization techniques employed in this study include; X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The microwave absorption properties of Fe3O4@PVDF were studied at the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) and Ku-band (12.4–18 GHz) frequency range. The Fe3O4@PVDF nanocomposite displayed minimum reflection loss of −62.7 dB at 16.9 GHz for 3.5 mm thick sample. These outstanding EMWA coefficients could be attributed to favorable impedance match from outstanding dielectric and magnetic loss mechanisms. Keywords: Microwave absorption property, Magnetite nanoparticles, PVDF, Reflection loss