Superparamagnetic ZnFe₂O₄ Nanoparticles-Reduced Graphene Oxide-Polyurethane Resin Based Nanocomposites for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Electromagnetism

Background:

• Electromagnetic pollution poses environmental and health risks.
• Developing effective shielding materials is crucial.
• Nanocomposites offer tunable properties for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize superparamagnetic zinc ferrite (ZnFe₂O₄) nanoparticles using sonochemical methods.
• To investigate the effect of sonication time on nanoparticle properties.
• To develop and evaluate ZnFe₂O₄/reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polyurethane resin (PUR) nanocomposites for electromagnetic shielding.

Main Methods:

• Sonochemical synthesis of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles at varying times (25, 50, 100 min).
• Characterization of nanoparticle structural and physical properties.
• Fabrication of ZnFe₂O₄-RGO-PUR nanocomposites.
• Measurement of total shielding effectiveness (SE_T) in the 8.2-12.4 GHz range.

Main Results:

• ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles exhibited superparamagnetism with crystallite size increasing from 3.0 to 4.0 nm with sonication time.
• The ZS100-RGO-PUR nanocomposite showed a high attenuation constant (α), indicating superior electromagnetic wave absorption.
• Effective impedance matching and synergistic effects of ZnFe₂O₄ and RGO contributed to significant wave absorption.

Conclusions:

• Sonochemical synthesis effectively controls ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticle properties.
• The developed ZnFe₂O₄-RGO-PUR nanocomposite demonstrates high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness.
• This approach provides a promising method for creating lightweight, flexible electromagnetic pollution shielding materials.