Synthesis and microwave absorption characterization of SiO2 coated Fe3O4-MWCNT composites

This study investigated the microwave absorption properties of core-shell composites containing; iron oxide decorated carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silica (SiO2@Fe3O4-MWCNTs) with various thicknesses of silica shells (7, 20 and 50 nm). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction results confirmed the formation of these core-shell structures. Microwave absorption characterization of the samples at the ranging band under consideration (the X-band) showed increased absorption and shifting of the peaks to lower frequencies compared to the uncoated sample (Fe3O4-MWCNTs). The minimum reflection loss decreased with increasing SiO2 thickness. The minimum reflection loss of the composite with an optimized thickness of the silica shell (7 nm) exceeded -41 dB at 8.7-9 GHz.