Electromagnetic wave absorption mechanism for nanocomposites of holmium orthoferrite decorated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene -5-cyanoindole)

New microwave absorbents with low thickness, minimum reflection loss and effective absorption bandwidth microwave absorption capabilities are urgently needed, but their realization remains still challenging. For this study, we used an innovative nanocomposite architecture comprised of polygonal HoFeO₃ powder encapsulated with Poly(EDOT-co-CNIn) to create an electromagnetic wave absorption material optimized for the X-band frequency. Structural, morphological, magnetic, and microwave absorption characteristics of synthesized nanocomposite materials were evaluated utilizing XRD, FTIR, FESEM, VSM, and VNA techniques. With 35 wt.% filler loading, HoFeO₃@Poly(EDOT-co-CNIn) composite absorber achieves a minimum reflection loss (RL_mini) of -40 dB having 1.6 mm thickness, as measured by the waveguide method. Compared to other absorber samples optimal sample featured improved impedance matching abilities, better attenuation coefficient and a high absorption capacity. The optimal sample is also tested using the free-space measurement technique having dimensions of 200 mm × 200 mm and thus the findings show that they accord well with those of the waveguide approach. This work presents a design strategy for an effective microwave absorbent with practical measuring strategies for both waveguide and free-space setups.