Magneto-electric [CCI/CTO]@PANI composites: Structural, magnetic, morphological, and microwave absorption performance in 2–18 GHz frequency range

In this research, we reported a novel low-cost and efficient composite consisting of corroded carbonyl iron (CCI), calcium copper titanate (CTO) and polyaniline (PANI). The XRD analysis shows that the CTO sample exhibits a pure crystalline phase with an orthorhombic structure, while the amorphous peak of PANI appears at 25.4°, corresponding to the (200) crystal plane. Morphological investigations have shown that the pitching corrosion has successfully altered the smooth surface of the carbonyl iron and that the CTO sample exhibits a near cubic shape. The formation of a continuous network of the [CCI/CTO]@PANI composite is also evident in the FESEM images. The electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption capability of the [CCI/CTO]@PANI composite was investigated at the 2–18 GHz range. The [CCI/CTO]@PANI composite sample with 30 wt% and thickness of 2 mm exhibits reflection loss (R_L) of −22.0 dB at 14 GHz with a bandwidth of 6.5 GHz covering the range 11.5−18.0 dB which is more than the entire bandwidth of the K_u band.