Hollow γ-Fe2O3@Poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) versus γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@Poly(3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) core-shell structures for highly effective microwave absorption

Abstract

Hollow γ-Fe2O3@poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) core-shell nanocomposites have been successfully constructed via the reaction of hydrofluoric acid and γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@PEDOT core-shell nanocomposites. To evaluate the microwave absorption properties, the electromagnetic parameters of the absorber and the wax composite were measured at 2–18 GHz. Investigations of the microwave absorbing properties indicate that the hollow γ-Fe2O3@PEDOT core-shell nanocomposites exhibit remarkably improved microwave absorption properties compared to the γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@PEDOT core-shell nanocomposites. For hollow γ-Fe2O3@PEDOT core-shell nanocomposites, a minimum reflection loss (RL) of -44.7 dB at 12.9 GHz with a matching layer thickness of 2.0 mm, and an effective absorption bandwidth (RL< -10 dB) of 4.3 GHz (10.8–15.1 GHz) can be obtained. The enhanced absorption ability may benefit from the unique structure and the synergistic effect between the magnetic and dielectric components. It is expected that the proposed strategy can be extended to the fabrication of other lightweight and high-performance microwave absorbing materials.