Poly(pyrrole-co-styrene sulfonate)-encapsulated MWCNT/Fe-Ni alloy/NiFe2O4 nanocomposites for microwave absorption

In this work, MWCNTs/Fe-Ni alloy/NiFe2O4 (M/F/N) nanocomposite was prepared via hydrothermal method and then coated with poly(pyrrole-co-styrene sulfonate) (PP@M/F/N) via using in-situ polymerization method. The molar ratios of pyrrole and 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene co-polymers were adjusted 1:1. The morphological observations confirmed that magnetic nanoparticles were decorated with MWCNTs and finally coated by co-polymers. The microwave absorption results demonstrate that the minimum reflection loss of PP@M/F/N achieved to-85 dB at 12 GHz with effective bandwidth (less than -10 dB) in the range of X band frequency for 2 mm thickness. It was clearly observed that the minimum RL resonance peaks matched at lower frequencies with the increase of thicknesses for PP@M/F/N nanocomposite. According to the results, the formation of conductive network facilitated the electron transport and improved the impedance matching, interfacial polarization, and attenuation ability of the composite. This work illustrated a facile and efficient way to prepared magneto electric nanocomposite as a promising candidate for microwave absorption with a versatile design concept for other types of absorber.

Automated summary

The MWCNTs/Fe-Ni alloy/NiFe2O4 (M/F/N) nanocomposite was prepared through a hydrothermal method and then coated with poly(pyrrole-co-styrene sulfonate) (PP@M/F/N) via in-situ polymerization. The nanocomposite exhibited excellent microwave absorption properties in the X band frequency range, with a minimum reflection loss of -85 dB at 12 GHz for 2 mm thickness. Coating with the copolymers improved electron transport, impedance matching, interfacial polarization, and attenuation ability of the composite. This study provides a facile and efficient method for preparing magneto-electric nanocomposites as promising candidates for microwave absorption applications.