The current research reports the preparation of a microwave absorber containing CoFe2O4/NiFe2O4/Carbon fiber (H/S/CF) coated with polypyrrole polymer (PPy@H/S/CF) through sol-gel and in-situ polymerization processes. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and a vector network analyzer (VNA) are utilized to evaluate the features of the prepared composite. The microstructure analysis results revealed carbon fibers well decorated with submicron-size particles having hard/soft magnetic phases and thoroughly coated with polymer. The paraffin-based microwave absorber sample filled with 45 wt.% of PPy@H/S/CF has simultaneously both magnetic and dielectric losses in the 8.2–12.4 GHz frequency range. The absorber is used in a Salisbury screen configuration aiming at reducing the radar cross-section of objects. A minimum reflection loss of −55 dB at 10.6 GHz frequency with 5 GHz bandwidth is obtained for the sample with a 2 mm thickness. Different mechanisms, such as interfacial polarization, ferromagnetic resonance, and electron hopping, are the main factors for achieving such an appropriate microwave absorption. These results suggest that the PPy@H/S/CF composite is an ideal candidate for microwave absorption applications requiring high performance and low thickness.
Additional Materials Effect for Improved Electrochemical Performance of Activated Carbon Fiber Based Electric Double Layer Capacitors
