Crystal structure engineering of GdFeO3/Mxene composites with excellent electromagnetic wave absorption: role of phase transition and high polarizability

Abstract

Abstract The development of new materials that can absorb electromagnetic waves (EMW) is needed to address the problem of signal interference and crosstalk. In this study, a new composite material consisting of MXene and GdFeO3 nanoparticles has been synthesized using crystal structure engineering to improve EMW attenuation performance between 2 and 18 GHz. The GFO nanoparticles, with a size of 30–40 nm, are evenly distributed on the surface of the MXene layers. The XRD and Raman spectra of the composite material show different phases of GdFeO3, which have different crystal symmetries and coordination states. The XPS and EPR measurements indicate the coexistence of various valence states of Fe, which leads to oxygen vacancies in the lattice. The addition of MXene greatly increased the specific surface area and dielectric properties of the composite material. Due to the improved polarization and phase transition behavior, the P-E loop, DM constant, and attenuation constant were significantly enhanced. The combination of good ferroelectric GdFeO3 and disordered crystal phase into the multilayered MXene matrix resulted in an enhancement of conductive and magnetic losses. Experimental results demonstrated that the Pbnm GdFeO3/MXene composites exhibited excellent EMW absorption performance. At a thickness of 4 mm, the minimum reflection loss was − 61.5 dB, and a maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 8.62 GHz was achieved at 10.8 GHz due to the good dielectric, magnetic, and multiple reflections contributing to superior EMW absorption performance with a broad band.