A coral-like nano-PCF composite as a broad-bandwidth microwave absorber

Abstract

The bandwidth of microwave interference (MWI) has broadened with the increase of portable and intelligent electronics properties due to the diversification of irradiation frequencies. To shield against MWI over a broadened bandwidth, a coral-like polyaniline (PANI)/CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) nanocomposite (PCF) microwave absorber (MWA) was synthesized using a sol–gel self-propagation combustion method and annealing process. Computer simulation technology in CST MWS® accurately obtains the optimal thickness for the broadest-bandwidth MWA. The results demonstrated that the minimal reflection loss (RL_min) of the coral-like nano-PCF was −61.4 dB at 13.4 GHz with a thickness of 1.96 mm. Further optimization revealed that the effective absorbing bandwidth (EAB) of the coral-like nano-PCF was 6.4 GHz with a thickness of 1.74 mm, and the RL curve obtained from the simulation was in good agreement with the corresponding RL curve obtained experimentally. The strategy provides a new approach for the accurate design of broad-bandwidth MWAs.