Controlled synthesis and microwave absorption properties of Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄/PANI composite via an in-situ polymerization process

The binary composites of conducting polyaniline (PANI) and nickle zinc ferrite were synthesized by an in-situ polymerization process, and the electromagnetic absorption properties of the composites were also investigated. The FT-IR spectra present the peaks of PANI (1562, 1481, 1301, 1109, and 799 cm⁻¹) and the bonds of NiZn ferrite (579 and 390 cm⁻¹), indicating the existence of both NiZn ferrite particles and PANI in the composites. With the increasing ratio of nickle zinc ferrite, the composites distributes in irregular compared with pure PANI and Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄. The TG curves of the pure PANI and PANI/Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄ composites with different molar ratios clearly show the increase percentage of the ferrite in the composites. Furthermore, we found that the excellent electromagnetic absorption properties and wide absorption bandwidth can be achieved by adjusting proper molar ratios Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄ to PANI. The maximum reflection loss of Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄/PANI can reach to −41 dB at 12.8 GHz and the bandwidth exceeding −10 dB can reach to 5 GHz with the absorber thickness of 2.6 mm at the molar ratio of 1:2. This can be attributed to the enhancing magnetic loss and the better impedance matching. Therefore, Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄/PANI ferrite composites can become a new kind of candidate in the field of the microwave absorbing. - Highlights: • Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄/PANI possesses the enhanced dielectric properties when compared with pure Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄. • The absorbing bandwidth of Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄/PANI is wider than pure Ni_0.6Zn_0.4Fe₂O₄. • The maximum R_L can reach −41 dB at 12.8 GHz and the bandwidth exceeding −10 dB was 5 GHz with the absorber thickness of 2.6 mm