Mesoporous strontium ferrite/polythiophene composite: Influence of enwrappment on structural, thermal, and electromagnetic interference shielding

Strontium ferrite (SrFe12O19) and Strontium ferrite enwrapped polythiophene (SrF/PT) composites have been synthesized via sol-gel and in-situ emulsion polymerization techniques for the first time. The structural, morphological, magnetic, dielectric, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performances of these composites have been investigated. The composite possessing SrF:PT = 2:1 (SrF/PT-21) composition showed maximum shielding effectiveness (SE) of −31.64 dB at 15.73 GHz for 1 mm thick sample in the Ku-band (12.4–18 GHz) region, which is found to be higher than all composites and pristine SrFe12O19. This behavior is mainly attributed to the high dielectric and magnetic losses occurred within the material. The enwrapping of mesoporous SrFe12O19 nanoparticles by conducting PT further eased the electron transportation within the composite network that offered the greater impedance match for electromagnetic wave. Therefore, the composite may act as a promising microwave absorber with a lightweight, high thermal stability, and excellent SE ability for a broad frequency range.