A graphene oxide decorated BZT–CNF composite through hybrid microwave processing: an advanced multifunctional material for superior microwave shielding applications

Abstract

The flourishing electronic industries and advanced technologies have created an emerging issue by escalating the level of electromagnetic radiation in the environment. In the current investigation, a sophisticated, cutting-edge magnetoelectric composite material is designed and developed in contrast to its counterparts, and exhibits excellent electromagnetic interference shielding performance. A novel multiferroic material composed of ferroelectric BaZr_0.2Ti_0.8O₃ (BZT) and ferromagnetic Co_0.75Ni_0.25Fe₂O₄ (CNF) with graphene oxide decoration is developed through a novel microwave sintering technique. The relative permittivity, AC conductivity, magnetic coercivity, and polarization of the composites are all found to be enhanced by the incorporation of graphene oxide into the composite. A high relative permittivity of more than 50k at 10 kHz is observed in the magnetoelectric composite along with relaxor behaviour at 1.5 wt% graphene oxide reinforcement. The magnetoelectric composite's energy storage capacity has been found to be improved by the addition of GO reinforcement. Impedance studies revealed the Debye relaxation behavior for the BZT–CNF composite and composite with 0.5 wt% GO. The performance of the shielding against electromagnetic interference is evaluated in the X-band frequency range. Furthermore, the BZT–CNF composite has the lowest reflection loss (RL) of −54.9 dB with a maximum total shielding efficiency of 66.8 dB, whereas the magnetoelectric composite with 1.5 wt% GO exhibits improved microwave attenuation with the highest specific shielding efficiency of 75.03 dB cm² g⁻¹ and the maximum total shielding efficiency of 95.44 dB. The discovered material has excellent microwave absorption and shielding properties, making it very useful for radar and stealth technologies in the military, as well as in the electronics, medical, and electronic industries.