Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) has garnered interest in recent years due to its magneto-electric coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic ordering. This unique property offers some advantages when applied as electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers. In work reported here, the microwave absorption properties of multiferroic BFO/epoxy resin composites with different weight percentage (wt%) of BFO fillers of various thicknesses were investigated. The BFO powders were synthesized using high energy ball milling (HEBM) and sintered at 775 °C in a furnace with an ambient air condition. The sintered BFO powders with different weight ratios (50 wt%, 60 wt% and 70 wt%) were mixed with epoxy resin as a matrix to form a composite with thicknesses of 1, 2 and 3 mm. Phase identification, grain size and morphology, magnetic and microwave absorption properties of prepared samples were characterized. The absorption performances of samples were measured in the frequency range of 8–18 GHz. As a result, the compressed BFO powders and BFO/epoxy resin composites with 50–70 wt% BFO filler showed dual-band microwave absorption resonance behavior. The best performances were demonstrated by a 3 mm thick BFO70 composite sample which exhibited a primary reflection loss (RL1) of −26.0 dB at 9.1 GHz and a secondary reflection loss (RL2) of −40.5 dB at 11.3 GHz, along with an associated −10 dB bandwidth of 1.31 GHz. The minimum reflection loss (RL) peaks were shifted to a lower frequency as the thicknesses were increased due to theλ4 condition. Theoretical studies on the absorbing wave mechanism reveal a unique combination of dielectric loss relaxations and antiferromagnetic resonance effects in the BFO absorbers.

Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) has garnered interest in recent years due to its magneto-electric coupling between ferroelectric and magnetic ordering. This unique property offers some advantages when applied as electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers. In work reported here, the microwave absorption properties of multiferroic BFO/epoxy resin composites with different weight percentage (wt%) of BFO fillers of various thicknesses were investigated. The BFO powders were synthesized using high energy ball milling (HEBM) and sintered at 775 °C in a furnace with an ambient air condition. The sintered BFO powders with different weight ratios (50 wt%, 60 wt% and 70 wt%) were mixed with epoxy resin as a matrix to form a composite with thicknesses of 1, 2 and 3 mm. Phase identification, grain size and morphology, magnetic and microwave absorption properties of prepared samples were characterized. The absorption performances of samples were measured in the frequency range of 8–18 GHz. As a result, the compressed BFO powders and BFO/epoxy resin composites with 50–70 wt% BFO filler showed dual-band microwave absorption resonance behavior. The best performances were demonstrated by a 3 mm thick BFO70 composite sample which exhibited a primary reflection loss (RL1) of −26.0 dB at 9.1 GHz and a secondary reflection loss (RL2) of −40.5 dB at 11.3 GHz, along with an associated −10 dB bandwidth of 1.31 GHz. The minimum reflection loss (RL) peaks were shifted to a lower frequency as the thicknesses were increased due to theλ4 condition. Theoretical studies on the absorbing wave mechanism reveal a unique combination of dielectric loss relaxations and antiferromagnetic resonance effects in the BFO absorbers.

The parallel evolutional relationship between microstructural properties and magnetic and electrical properties was elucidated through this study. A Co0.5Ni0.5Fe2O4 rod sample was prepared via high energy ball milling and subsequent moulding into a nano-sized compacted powder. This single sample was sintered through 10 cycles at different sintering temperatures in the range of 500 °C–1400 °C. After each sintering, the sample was characterized for its phase, microstructural, density, magnetic and electrical properties using XRD, SEM, B-H tracer, Curie temperature measurement and two probes method. An integrated study of microstructural properties with elevating sintering temperature would point to the existence of three stages of sintering, which involved atomic, interfaces (lattice and boundaries), and volume diffusions respectively. Three distinct shape-differentiated groups of B–H hysteresis loops were observed. The existence of these groups was associated with microstructural properties such as phase purity, volume fraction of disordered phase or grain boundaries, and grain size. In terms of average grain size, from 48.25 nm to 71.93 nm, a weak paramagnetic behaviour was observed; while from 83.65 nm to 374.79 nm, a relatively square-shaped hysteresis loops with moderate ferromagnetic behaviours were observed. The occurrences of erect and well-defined sigmoid-shape were observable when there were sufficiently high single-phase purity and crystallinity, where the average grain size was in the range of 964.73 nm–11215.91 nm. The critical grain size of 186.75 nm was found by plotting average grain size against coercivity, suggesting the number of single-domain particles was reduced, and the number of multi-domain particles was increased by increasing sintering temperature. The electrical resistivity variations were strongly related to the microstructural properties.