Enhanced microwave absorption in ZnO/carbonyl iron nano-composites by coating dielectric material

The microwave absorption properties of zinc oxide/carbonyl iron composite nanoparticles fabricated by high energy ball milling were studied at 0-20 GHz. Experiments showed that ZnO as a kind of dielectric material coating carbonyl iron particles made the bandwidth of reflection loss (RL) < -5 dB expanding to the low frequency, and enhanced absorption effect obviously. For a 3 mm thickness absorber of ZnO/carbonyl iron after 30 h milling, the values of RL < -5 dB and RL < -8 dB were obtained in the frequency range from 7.0 GHz to 17.8 GHz and from 9.8 dB to 14.9 dB, respectively, and its strongest RL peak was -29.34 dB at 13.59 GHz. The magnetic loss of carbonyl iron particles and the dielectric loss of ZnO particles were the main mechanisms of microwave absorption for the composites. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.