Synthesis and characterizations of ferrite/polypyrrole composites for electromagnetic shielding

Abstract

Ferrite polymer composites, a seamless fusion of magnetic and polymeric properties, embody both strength and flexibility, paving the way for a new era of innovative applications. Composite nanomaterials of BaFe₂O₄/polypyrrole were synthesized by combining spinel ferrites and polypyrrole (PPy) by standard ceramic method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that the spinel ferrites were uniformly distributed throughout the single-phase PPy-matrix. Because PPy is amorphous, the size of the crystallites in nanocomposites grew as the amount of spinel ferrite in the matrix went up. At higher frequencies, the dielectric loss of the composites decreases due to reduced polarization effects. The addition of nanoparticles to the PPy matrix made the conduction channel narrower, leading to increased activation energy and resistivity. The magnetic properties of the composites were enhanced by adding ferrite components. The obtained results indicate that the prepared composites may be a potential candidate for EMI shielding applications.