Synthesis and microwave absorption properties of electromagnetic functionalized Fe(3)O(4)–polyaniline hollow sphere nanocomposites produced by electrostatic self-assembly

Highly regulated Fe(3)O(4)–polyelectrolyte-modified polyaniline (Fe(3)O(4)–PE@PANI) hollow sphere nanocomposites were successfully synthesized using an electrostatic self-assembly approach. The morphology and structure of the Fe(3)O(4)–PE@PANI nanocomposites were characterized using field-emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the as-prepared nanocomposites had well-defined sizes and shapes, and the average size is about 500 nm. The assembly process was investigated. Magnetization measurements showed that the saturation magnetization of the nanocomposites was 38.6 emu g(−1). It was also found that the Fe(3)O(4)–PE@PANI nanocomposites exhibited excellent reflection loss abilities and wide response bandwidths compared with those of PANI hollow spheres in the range 0.5–15 GHz. The Fe(3)O(4)–PE@PANI nanocomposites are, therefore, promising for microwave absorption applications.