Synthesis, Characterization and Microwave Absorption Properties of Polyaniline/Er-Doped Strontium Ferrite Nanocomposite

Er-doped strontium ferrite nanopowders (SrEr0.3Fe11.7O19) were prepared by the sol-gel method, and then their composites of PANI/SrEr0.3Fe11.7O19 with 10 wt% and 20 wt% ferrite were prepared by an in-situ polymerization process. The characterization of obtained samples was accomplished by XRD, FT-IR, TEM, VSM, and vector network analyzer techniques. A successful conjugation of ferrite nanoparticles with polyaniline could be indicated by XRD and FT-IR analysis. TEM confirmed the formation of polyaniline packed on strontium ferrite surface. Magnetization measurements showed the substituted Er3+ of Fe3+ on basis site enhanced the magnetic property notably and the content of polyaniline also influenced the magnetic property prominently. PANI/SrEr0.3Fe11.7O19 possessed the best absorption property with the optimum matching thickness of 3 mm in the frequency of 2-18 GHz. The value of the maximum RL was -42.0 dB at 12.0 GHz with the 5.5 GHz bandwidth.