Interfacial polymerization preparation of polyaniline fibers/Co0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 urchin-like composite with superior microwave absorption performance

Abstract

In this work, a polyaniline (PANI) fibers/Co0.2Ni0.4Zn0.4Fe2O4 (CNZF) composite (mass ratio of PANI to CNZF is 1:1) with a novel urchin-like structure was successfully fabricated through interfacial polymerization. The CNZF was synthesized by the sol-gel method, and whereafter, the PANI fibers were grafted onto the CNZF surface through in-situ polymerization. Structural and morphological properties were systematically investigated by using field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR). In the frequency range of 2–18 GHz, the microwave absorption properties of samples were investigated by using vector network analyzer (VNA). The results demonstrated that the microwave absorbing capability of the PANI/CNZF composite was superior to the pure CNZF or PANI. For the PANI/CNZF composite, its optimal absorption peak reached −41.9 dB at 10.48 GHz with a 2.8 mm thickness and the effective absorption bandwidth (RL < −10 dB) was 3.76 GHz. Moreover, the maximum effective bandwidth of PANI/CNZF reached 5.24 GHz (12.66–17.90 GHz) with a thinner thickness of 1.9 mm. On account of advanced impedance matching and increased interfacial effects, the PANI/CNZF composite possessed excellent microwave absorption properties and can be used as absorbers with strong absorption, extended absorbing bandwidth, and thin thickness.