Characterization of a microwave absorbent prepared by coprecipitation reaction of iron oxide on the surface of graphite nanosheet

Highlights: ► NanoG was prepared by ultrasonication of EG. ► Fe3O4 was precipitated on the NanoG's surface. ► The structure was characterized by SEM, XRD, EDS and FTIR. ► Properties such as thermal stability, conductivity and microwave absorbing were measured. - Abstract: Fe3O4 was precipitated on the surface of graphite nanosheet (NanoG) to produce a microwave absorbing material Fe3O4/NanoG. The structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Results show that under basic conditions, FeCl3·6H2O and FeSO4·7H2O can be used in a coprecipitation reaction to obtain Fe3O4 nanoparticles, which are bound to and well distributed on the NanoG surface. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the thermal stability of Fe3O4/NanoG is good. According to the four-point-probe test, with the increasing mass ratios of Fe3O4 to NanoG, the conductivities of Fe3O4/NanoG decrease. Measurement of electromagnetic parameters shows that Fe3O4/NanoG has better microwave absorbing properties than Fe3O4 and NanoG.