Microwave absorption properties of Mn- and Ni-doped zinc oxides

Microwave absorption properties of Mn- and Ni-doped zinc oxides were assessed in this study. Samples were prepared by the decomposition of acetate solid solutions. By changing the concentration of dopant ions in the reaction solutions, zinc oxides with different amounts of dopant were obtained. The morphologies, chemical compositions, and structures of the samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and x-ray powder diffraction. Electromagnetic characteristics of the doped samples were assessed by vector network analysis at a frequency range of 2–16 GHz. Both the real and imaginary parts of the complex permittivity decreased as Mn or Ni concentration increased. Results indicate that, compared with pure ZnO, Mn- and Ni-doped zinc oxides exhibit excellent microwave absorption properties. The highest level of microwave absorption observed was 80.7 dB at a frequency of 9.8 GHz, and the best frequency bandwidth was 8.6 GHz at reflection loss values below −10 dB.