Green synthesis and enhanced microwave absorption property of reduced graphene oxide-SrFe12O19 nanocomposites

Abstract To overcome the shortcomings (poor impedance mismatching and weak electromagnetic wave attenuation) of the SrFe 12 O 19 (SrM) nanoflakes, reduced graphene oxides (RGO)/SrM nanocomposites are designed and prepared without any reduction agent. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis reveal that the existence of interaction and the formation of interface between SrM and RGO. The interaction and interface introduce the enhanced dielectric loss in RGO/SrM nanocomposites, which leads to good electromagnetic absorption performances. A reflection loss (RL) exceeding −20 dB is obtained in a wide frequency range of 2.4–18 GHz when an appropriate absorber thickness between 1.8 and 10 mm is chosen. An absorber with a thickness of 2.2 mm exhibits RL values which exceed −10 dB in 11.84–18 GHz range, covering the whole Ku-band. For a 2 mm absorber layer, an optimal RL of RGO/SrM nanocomposite reaches −49.94 dB at 16.24 GHz. Therefore, the obtained nanocomposites are potential candidates for applications in microwave absorption.