Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics最新文献

{"title":"X-ray reflectivity and spectroscopic ellipsometry investigation of magnetron-sputtered (111)-textured Gd-doped NiO thin films for optoelectronic applications","authors":"Anam Ayub Tahami,&nbsp;Ali Tahir,&nbsp;Qurat ul Ain,&nbsp;Arzoo Fatima,&nbsp;Iqra Tehseen,&nbsp;Muhammad Ahsan Iqbal","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18608-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18608-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study focuses on structural, morphological, electrical, and optical characteristics of NiO thin films grown on glass substrates using DC magnetron co-sputtering in relation to gadolinium doping. The preferred (111) orientation of cubic NiO is confirmed by XRD, and lattice distortion is indicated by peak shift (37.18°–37.25°). Increased defect formation is shown by a decrease in crystallite size from 17.98 to 14.01 nm and an increase in dislocation density from 0.002 to 0.005 nm⁻². Improved compactness is indicated by XRR analysis, which reveals uniform thickness (94–97 nm) and enhanced density (6.20–6.98 g/cm³). AFM analysis shows that the RMS roughness increases from 10.8 nm (GNO-0) to 14.5 nm (GNO-1) and 19.2 nm (GNO-2), reaching a maximum height of 150.5 nm in GNO-3, accompanied by a transition from a dense nanocrystalline surface to hemispherical island-like morphology. Gd incorporation and associated microstructural and native defect modulations are responsible for the decreased resistivity (4.54 × 10⁸ to 1.44 × 10⁸ Ω·cm) and increased electrical conductivity (2.20 × 10⁻⁹ to 6.94 × 10⁻⁹ S/cm). The films exhibit strong UV absorption and 60–70% NIR transmittance, both of which decrease with increasing doping. Defect states and lattice strain contribute to the narrowing of the optical band gap. Furthermore, increased light–matter interaction and decreased optical losses are indicated by an increase in the refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constants, optical conductivity, and a drop in the loss tangent. The results indicate that Gd-doping provides a viable route to tailor the structural, electrical, and optical properties of NiO thin films, establishing material-level potential for optoelectronic applications; device-level demonstration remains a subject for future work.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lightweight broadband microwave absorbents based on CoFe2O4/CNT composites","authors":"Zhen Liu,&nbsp;Xiyu Xu,&nbsp;Bo Wang,&nbsp;Shicheng Wei,&nbsp;Yujiang Wang,&nbsp;Guo Lei,&nbsp;Xinyang Wang,&nbsp;Yaoyao Xu,&nbsp;Ruidong Shi,&nbsp;Lixing Chen","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18571-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18571-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, CoFe₂O₄/CNT composites were prepared via a one-step hydrothermal method. By adjusting the CNT doping ratio, magnetic and conductive phases achieved in situ combination and uniform dispersion. CNT content significantly affected the microstructure, phase composition, and electromagnetic properties. At a low filling ratio, the composites showed excellent microwave absorption performance. Sample 3# achieved a minimum reflection loss of −51.91 dB at 17.76 GHz with a thickness of 1.38 mm, and the effective absorption bandwidth reached 5.12 GHz. The absorption was dominated by dielectric loss and supplemented by magnetic loss. The conductive network, interfacial polarization, and multi-reflection from hierarchical pores synergistically improved wave attenuation. This study provides a new strategy for developing lightweight, broadband, and high-performance microwave absorption materials.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bandgap engineering of tantalum nitride thin films by ion‑assisted magnetron sputtering for advanced electronic and radiation detection applications","authors":"Galina Nagicheva,&nbsp;Mikhail Vostokov,&nbsp;Michaël Chesaux,&nbsp;Jacek Wojcik,&nbsp;Attila Csík,&nbsp;Sándor Kökényesi,&nbsp;Dino Deligiannis,&nbsp;Alla Reznik","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18593-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18593-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Tantalum nitride (TaN_x) thin films exhibit a wide range of electrical and optical properties that can be controlled by adjusting deposition conditions, making them attractive for microelectronics, protective coatings, and functional layers in radiation detectors and other advanced devices. In this work, TaN_x films were deposited by ion‑assisted reactive magnetron sputtering while systematically varying the N₂/Ar flow‑rate ratio. Optical transmission/reflectance spectroscopy combined with spectroscopic ellipsometry and the Tauc method analysis shows that increasing N₂/Ar flow-rate ratio governs a continuous transition from quasi-metallic Ta-rich films to semiconducting N-rich films, with indirect optical bandgaps increasing from near zero to about 1.6 eV. This transformation is accompanied by a corresponding increase in resistivity over roughly five orders of magnitude, from ~10^–2 to ~10³ Ω·cm. Raman spectroscopy and grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction reveal that all films are nanocrystalline or quasi-amorphous TaN_x with short-range order embedded in a disordered matrix; increasing N₂/Ar suppressing cubic TaN-like formation and promoting nitrogen-rich, structurally disordered Ta–N configurations. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry confirms that N-rich films at N₂/Ar ≈ 2 are compositionally uniform, with stoichiometry lying between Ta₃N₅ and Ta₄N₅. Overall, these results establish quantitative deposition–structure–property relationships in nanocrystalline TaN_x thin films and demonstrate that ion-assisted reactive sputtering enables effective tuning of resistivity and optical bandgap. The identified correlations are essential for optimizing electro-optical performance in low-resistivity contacts and liners, as well as high-resistivity blocking and passivation layers for electronic, photonic, and detector applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10854-026-18593-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Strategy for enhanced photocatalytic activity of amorphous MoS2 as an efficient Photocatalyst for dye degradation: A study on RhB, KMnO4, and mixed dye system","authors":"Meghashree Vinod Shetter,&nbsp;M. Uday Kumar,&nbsp;R. Swetha,&nbsp;B. V. Sahana,&nbsp;Latha Kumari","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18523-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18523-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the present work, solvothermal synthesis technique was adopted to synthesize the molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanoparticles. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals the amorphous nature and confirms the poor crystallinity of the as-synthesized MoS₂ nanoparticles. The photocatalytic activity of amorphous MoS₂ was assessed using Rhodamine B (RhB) as a model organic pollutant when exposed to visible light. In addition to RhB degradation, composite systems comprising RhB and KMnO₄, as well as a binary mixture of Methylene Blue (MB), RhB, and KMnO₄, were used to study the synergistic effects of oxidising agents. As a result, MoS₂ catalyst achieved excellent degradation of 93.05% under visible light with addition of KMnO₄ within 60 minutes. In mixed dye degradation analysis, MB degraded to 99.18% and RhB degraded to 85.05% within 8 minutes. Notably, the amorphous MoS₂ exhibit significantly enhanced photocatalytic performance, while KMnO₄ acting as a co-oxidant to improve the degradation efficiency. These results demonstrate that the synthesized amorphous MoS₂ is an efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst and a promising candidate for advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) aimed at the degradation of complex organic pollutants and multi-dye wastewater systems. Further, the photocatalytic dye degradation of binary mixture of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Methylene blue (MB) dyes was witnessed within a short time frame of 8 minutes, showcasing the rapid and highly efficient photocatalytic activity of the catalyst.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cr-site engineering of BaFeO3 perovskites: correlating structural defects, electronic structure, optical response and charge transport","authors":"Ariful Alam,&nbsp;Mst. Sukhi Akter,&nbsp;Shefa Akter,&nbsp;Md. Ridwanul Hasan,&nbsp;Md. Abdur Rob,&nbsp;Jobair Maudood,&nbsp;Md. Saiful Islam,&nbsp;Nazia Khatun,&nbsp;Suravi Islam,&nbsp;Abul K. Azad,&nbsp;Md. Shah Alam,&nbsp;Shahzad Hossain","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18526-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18526-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ba_1−<i>x</i>Cr_<i>x</i>FeO₃ (<i>x</i> = 0.1–0.4) perovskite ceramics were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method to investigate the role of Cr-site substitution in modulating their structural, optical, dielectric, and vibrational properties. X-ray diffraction confirmed the retention of the BaFeO₃-type perovskite framework, while Williamson–Hall, Halder–Wagner, modified Scherrer, and size–strain plot analyses revealed pronounced method-dependent crystallite-size estimates and composition-dependent lattice distortion. The SSP, stacking fault, lattice strain, and dislocation density analyses further indicated that BCF3 possesses comparatively lower structural disorder, whereas BCF4 exhibits the highest lattice distortion and defect density. The optical bandgap showed a non-monotonic composition dependence, decreasing to a minimum of 2.948 eV for Ba_0.8Cr_0.2FeO₃ before increasing with further Cr incorporation, demonstrating composition-sensitive modification of the electronic structure and enhanced visible-light response at <i>x</i> = 0.2. The dielectric response exhibited pronounced frequency dispersion, particularly at low frequencies, consistent with interfacial polarization and defect-assisted charge transport. FTIR analysis confirmed Fe–O/Cr–O vibrations and progressive modification of the local FeO₆/CrO₆ octahedral environment with increasing Cr content. Overall, the results demonstrate that Cr-site engineering provides a controllable means of coupling lattice distortion with optical and dielectric responses while preserving the BaFeO₃ perovskite framework. This composition-dependent tunability highlights Cr substitution as an effective strategy for tailoring the functional properties of BaFeO₃-based ceramics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hybridized assembly of selenium nanostructures on reduced graphene oxide for asymmetric supercapacitors","authors":"Shivakumar. Mathapati,&nbsp;Shubham K. Mehta,&nbsp;Smita Gajanan Naik,&nbsp;Darshana Upadye Beelagi,&nbsp;R. M. Hodlur","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18565-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18565-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Selenium (Se), a chalcogen (sulphur) family member, has emerged as a potential candidate due to its superior electrical conductivity and volumetric capacity density comparable to that of sulphur. These features enable efficient charge transfer, fast reversible redox reactions and higher rate capability. This intrinsic conductivity makes selenium particularly suitable for energy storage devices. Selenium nanostructures were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method; structural (XRD) analysis confirms the crystallinity of selenium in the trigonal phase. Electrochemical performance was evaluated using a three-electrode configuration for the Se/rGO electrode; cyclic voltammetry (CV) revealed a high specific capacitance of 324 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. Galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) exhibits a specific capacitance of 333.3 F/g at a current density of 2.5 A/g, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) confirmed better charge storage behaviour with R_ct of 3.2 Ω. Also, the electrode demonstrated good cyclic stability, retaining 96.8% of its initial capacitance after 3000 continuous charge and discharge cycles. The corresponding Se/rGO asymmetric assembly showed an energy density of 47.5 mWhkg⁻¹ and power density of 139.5 Wkg⁻¹. These results position a Se/rGO nanocomposite electrode as a promising candidate for a cost-effective material for a high-performing, stable electrode in energy storage applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optical and dielectric properties of Al2O3/V2O5/Co3O4-chitosan composite films for potential dielectric applications","authors":"Emad M. Masoud,&nbsp;Walaa Alharbi,&nbsp;Khadijah H. Alharbi,&nbsp;Abdullah Fahad Alzayed,&nbsp;A. A. Menazea","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18594-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18594-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Chitosan (CS)-based composite films containing Al₂O₃, Co₃O₄, and V₂O₅ were prepared to investigate the combined influence of metal oxide incorporation on the structural, thermal, optical, and dielectric properties of CS. Unlike studies that mainly examine the effect of individual oxide fillers, the present work comparatively evaluates the sequential CS, CS/Al₂O₃, CS/Al₂O₃/V₂O₅, and CS/Al₂O₃/V₂O₅/Co₃O₄ systems. Structural and compositional analyses confirmed the incorporation of the metal oxides into the CS matrix, while FESEM observations indicated a broadly distributed filler phase. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that all films remained thermally stable below approximately 300 °C, while the residual fraction increased from 1.7% for pure CS to 36.6% for CS/Al₂O₃/V₂O₅/Co₃O₄. The indirect optical band gap increased from 3.90 eV for pure CS to 5.35 eV after Al₂O₃ incorporation, then decreased to 3.40 and 3.00 eV after the subsequent addition of V₂O₅ and Co₃O₄, respectively. The corresponding refractive indices were 1.87, 1.58, 2.02, and 2.17. Dielectric measurements revealed a pronounced enhancement in the low-frequency permittivity, from approximately 200 for pure CS to approximately 1600 and 1200 for CS/Al₂O₃/V₂O₅ and CS/Al₂O₃/V₂O₅/Co₃O₄, respectively, followed by a decrease with increasing frequency. Impedance analysis further indicated enhanced charge-carrier transport and reduced interfacial resistance after V₂O₅ and Co₃O₄ incorporation. These findings demonstrate that sequential metal oxide incorporation provides an effective route for tuning the optical and dielectric/electrical response of chitosan-based composite films.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synthesis and electrochemical performance evaluation of a thermally reduced ZnO@V2O5 binary nanocomposite for supercapacitor applications","authors":"Naveen Jyoti,&nbsp;Arpita Sharma,&nbsp; Kajal,&nbsp;Aniket Bharti,&nbsp;Raju Tiwari,&nbsp;Anurag Gaur,&nbsp;Rajesh Kumar","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18544-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18544-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Developing electrode materials that simultaneously exhibit good electrical conductivity and high electrochemical activity remains a primary concern for high-performance supercapacitors. To address this, we have synthesised a ZnO@V₂O₅based binary nanocomposite. The composite was synthesised through a simple solid-state method by thermally reducing the oxides, which enables effective integration of ZnO and V₂O₅ at the nanoscale level. The morphological study showed a well-built composite structure that helps ions move through short pathways for faster transport, while the structural and phase examination verified the development of crystalline ZnO and V₂O₅ within the composite. Galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements and cyclic voltammetry were employed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the synthesised electrode in 2 M KOH electrolyte. The ZnO@ V₂O₅ electrode was found to exhibit stable charge–discharge characteristics with good rate capabilities at a varying current of 2–10 mA. Also, the cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed an overall specific capacitance of 80 F g⁻¹ at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹, demonstrating effective charge storage behaviour. The current contributions were analysed and found to be predominantly diffusion-controlled, suggesting that Faradaic ion intercalation is the principal and dominating charge storage mechanism in the nanocomposite. Overall, the ZnO@V₂O₅ nanocomposite is considered a promising electrode material for supercapacitor applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optical dispersion and frequency- and temperature-dependent dielectric properties of 4-ethylpiperazin-1-ium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate single crystal","authors":"S. Tamilveerapandiyan,&nbsp;D. Dulasimathi,&nbsp;D. Trixy Nimmy Priscilla,&nbsp;M. Prabhaharan,&nbsp;C. Amirthakumar","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18588-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18588-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A single crystal of 4-ethylpiperazin-1-ium 3,5-dinitrobenzoate (EPDNB) was successfully grown by the slow evaporation solution growth technique at room temperature. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed that EPDNB crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system with unit cell parameters <i>a</i> = 19.34(3) Å, <i>b</i> = 8.738(19) Å, <i>c</i> = 19.41(2) Å, <i>α</i> = 90.00°, <i>β</i> = 96.82(5)°, <i>γ</i> = 90.00°, and a unit cell volume of 3257(14) Å³. Surface morphology examined by scanning electron microscopy revealed well-developed crystal facets, while XPS confirmed the presence and chemical states of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms. Optical studies demonstrated excellent transparency of 96.9% in the visible region with a lower cut-off wavelength of 437 nm. The optical band gap was estimated to be 2.92 eV, and the optical constants, including refractive index, extinction coefficient, optical conductivity, electrical conductivity, optical susceptibility, and optical polarizability, were evaluated. Dielectric studies revealed a decrease in dielectric constant and dielectric loss with increasing frequency, accompanied by an increase in AC conductivity indicating reduced space-charge polarization and enhanced charge transport. The crystalline quality, favourable optical characteristics, and stable dielectric behaviour suggest that EPDNB is a promising organic crystal for optoelectronic and electronic device applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhanced electromagnetic wave attenuation in Ca-substituted DyFeO3 orthoferrites: role of defect engineering and magnetic resonance","authors":"Arja Vani,&nbsp;Anusha Karumuri,&nbsp;Kumara Raja Kandula,&nbsp;Tinku Baidya","doi":"10.1007/s10854-026-18579-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10854-026-18579-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The development of lightweight and high-performance microwave absorbing materials has become increasingly important owing to the rapid expansion of wireless communication systems and the growing demand for effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding. Rare-earth orthoferrites have emerged as promising candidates because of their remarkable magnetic ordering, structural stability, and tunable dielectric properties. In this study, Dy_1-<i>x</i>Ca_<i>x</i>FeO₃ (<i>x</i> = 0 to 0.3) ceramics were synthesized by improved sol–gel method to investigate the influence of Ca²⁺ substitution on their structural, vibrational, magnetic, and microwave absorption characteristics. X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of a single-phase orthorhombic perovskite structure (Pbnm) without detectable secondary phases, demonstrating that Ca substitution preserves the structural integrity of DyFeO₃. The crystallite size remained within the nanometer range, while slight variations in lattice strain reflected local structural distortion induced by aliovalent substitution. Raman spectroscopy revealed systematic modifications in the A_g and B_2g phonon modes, indicating changes in FeO₆ octahedral distortion and lattice dynamics. FESEM analysis showed densely packed polycrystalline particles with average particle sizes increasing from approximately 271 to 392 nm as the Ca content increased. Magnetic measurements demonstrated enhanced ferromagnetic behavior resulting from modified Fe–O–Fe exchange interactions and spin canting. The complex permittivity and permeability measured in the 2–18 GHz frequency range revealed improved dielectric polarization, magnetic relaxation, and impedance matching after Ca substitution. Among all compositions, Dy_1-<i>x</i>Ca_<i>x</i>FeO₃ (<i>x</i> = 0.1) exhibited the strongest microwave absorption; achieving a minimum reflection loss of approximately −34 dB near 12 GHz. Cole–Cole analysis confirmed multiple non-Debye relaxation processes associated with interfacial polarization, oxygen vacancies, and Fe³⁺/Fe⁴⁺ electron hopping. The synergistic interaction between dielectric loss, magnetic loss, and optimized impedance matching significantly enhances microwave attenuation, highlighting Dy_1-<i>x</i>Ca_<i>x</i>FeO₃ (<i>x</i> = 0.1) as a promising material for electromagnetic interference shielding and microwave absorption applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":646,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics","volume":"37 28","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149098299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}