Bandwidth expansion effects and electromagnetic wave loss mechanisms in Y2Co8Fe9 powders with multiple particle size distributions

Abstract

Electromagnetic interference and radiation demand advanced absorbing materials to moderate pollution. In this work, the wide bandwidth and strong absorption electromagnetic wave absorbing material Y2Co8Fe9 powder was prepared by the plasma-assisted ball milling method, and the microstructure and electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism were systematically investigated. The particle size of Y2Co8Fe9 powder was optimized to enhance absorption properties, resulting in a minimum reflection loss of −41.4 dB after 2 h of ball milling, with an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 7.6 GHz at a thickness of 1.6 mm. The concept of average loss is introduced based on the synergistic effect of dielectric and magnetic losses. It is demonstrated that an average loss within 0.45 leads to desirable EAB values. These results demonstrate the significance of determining the influence of particle size distributions and average losses on material absorption performance, providing an innovative perspective to preparing efficient wave-absorbing materials.