Facile hydrothermal synthesis of bio-inspired ZnO/Fe2O3/ZnFe2O4 heterostructure: Effect of microwave absorption properties

The advancement of technology has allowed us to create increasingly sophisticated materials, making it crucial to understand and manipulate their properties for specific applications. This is especially relevant in the development of materials with enhanced microwave absorption properties for Radar Absorbing Materials (RAMs). A cost-effective method of producing a bio-inspired ZnO/Fe2O3/ZnFe2O4 heterostructure for RAM applications using Ramphal (Annona reticulata) leaf extract is presented in this study. Structural characterization confirms the presence of a heterostructure composed of three different metal oxide nanoparticles: ZnO, Fe2O3, and ZnFe2O4, having a crystallite size of 138.7 nm. The optical absorption of the heterostructure was studied, revealing an optical band gap of 1.86 eV Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM) results showed excellent coercivity of 116 Oe at room temperature. Interestingly, the ZnO/Fe2O3/ZnFe2O4 heterostructure exhibited exceptional microwave absorption properties, achieving a maximum reflection loss of -38.43 dB at 10.29 GHz at 8 mm thickness. A maximum of 100% EAB (Effective Absorbing Bandwidth) in the X-band was obtained at 9 mm thickness. Simulation results also demonstrated a maximum reflection loss of -58.11 dB at 16.35 GHz with 5.44 GHz EAB at 5 mm thickness, covering 81% of the Ku band.