Synthesis and excellent microwave absorption property of polyaniline nanorods coated Li0.435Zn0.195Fe2.37O4 nanocomposites

In this work, Li0.435Zn0.195Fe2.37O4 (LZFO) was firstly prepared by the sol-gel process, and then core-shell polyaniline (PANI) nanorods/LZFO composites were successfully synthesized by interfacial polymerization. The structures and morphologies of samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectra, and scanning electron microscopy. The average size of the pure ferrites was about 0.75 mu m and the size distribution was 0.3-1.0 mu m. The results indicated that the composites with different morphologies and structures resulted in different electromagnetic properties. The electromagnetic absorption test demonstrated that the PANI nanorods/LZFO possessed the best absorption property. The value of the minimum reflection loss was -51.1 dB at 9.86 GHz, and the absorption bandwidth exceeding -10 dB was 2.3 GHz (from 3.7 to 6 GHz) and 2 GHz (from 15.7 to 17.7 GHz). The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption properties of the nanocomposites were attributed to the improved impedance matching and the enhanced interfacial effects.