Microwave absorption behavior of ZnO whisker modified by nanosized Fe3O4 particles

Tetra-needle-like ZnO whisker was magnetic modified through in situ synthesis of nanosized Fe3O4 particles on the surface of the whisker, and the microwave absorption behavior of the as-prepared product was investigated in detail. The result of the comparative microwave absorbing experiment showed that the magnetic modified ZnO whisker appeared more superior property of microwave absorption than that of the original ZnO whisker in 2-18 GHz. Further investigation indicated that the microwave absorption behavior of the product was influenced by ferrite content and Fe3O4 particles' distribution in the product. When the ferrite content of the product changed from 2 wt% to 9 wt%, the microwave absorbing ability of the product was increased; then, the microwave absorbing ability of the product decreased with the further increasing of ferrite content from 9 wt% to 16 wt%. The product with uniform distribution of Fe3O4 particles showed better microwave absorption property than that with irregular distribution of Fe3O4 particles, and this result inferred that the biphase interface between ZnO and Fe3O4 contributed to microwave absorption through interface polarization.