Barium ferrite decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for effective electromagnetic interference shielding

Abstract

There is an increased interest in the development of high performance microwave shielding materials against electromagnetic pollution in recent years. Barium ferrite decorated reduced graphene oxide (BaFe₁₂O₁₉@RGO) nanocomposite was synthesized by a high energy ball milling technique and its electromagnetic properties were investigated in the frequency range of 12.4–18 GHz (Ku band). The results showed that barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) nanoparticles with an average particle size of 20–30 nm were well distributed and firmly anchored onto the surface of the reduced graphene oxide sheets. The obtained nanocomposite exhibited a saturation magnetization of 18.1 emu g⁻¹ at room temperature. The presence of BaFe₁₂O₁₉ nanoparticles in the nanocomposite enhances the space charge polarization, natural resonance, multiple scattering and the effective anisotropy energy leading to a high electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of 32 dB (∼99.9% attenuation) at a critical thickness of 3 mm. The results suggested that the as-prepared BaFe₁₂O₁₉@RGO nanocomposite showed great potential as an effective candidate for a new type of microwave absorbing material.