Iron oxide/titania composites for radar absorbing material (RAM) applications

Abstract

Iron oxide/titania composites were synthesized by precipitation method. Amount of iron oxide was varied in the composites. The single phase (anatase) was obtained for the weight ratio of 0-20% and three phases (anatase, magnetite and hematite) were found for the weight ratio of 30% and 40% of iron oxide. The crystallite size of titania decreased with increasing of iron oxide content. The specific surface area, total pore volume and BJH pore volume of the sample increased with increasing iron oxide content in the composite. The composites possessed mesoporous characteristic (6.5-9.6 nm in pore diameter) and exhibited ferromagnetic properties. The measurement of the microwave absorption showed that the 40Fe/Ti composite had the best reflection loss of -14 dB at a frequency of 10.9 GHz. This meant that the electromagnetic wave was absorbed 80% in that frequency. Thus, the developed material can be a promising microwave absorbing agent in radar signature reduction.