Studies on the synthesis and microwave absorption properties of Fe3O4/polyaniline FGM

Electrically conducting polyaniline (PANI)–magnetic oxide (Fe3 O4) composites were synthesized by emulsion polymerization in the presence of dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) as the surfactant and dopant and ammonium persulfate (APS) as the oxidant. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that the composite has a magnetic core and an electric shell and the modification has prevented the aggregation of Fe3 O4 nanoparticles effectively. The electromagnetic parameter measurements (e'', e', μ'' and μ') in the range of 2–18 GHz prove that Fe3 O4 in the Fe3 O4/PANI/DBSA is responsible for the electric and ferromagnetic behavior of the composites. As a result, the electromagnetic parameters can be designed by adjusting the content of the Fe3 O4. The microwave absorption of functionally graded material (FGM) was simulated by the computer according to the principle of impedance match and the calculated results agreed quite well with the experimentally measured data (R 4 GHz).