Microwave absorption of magnesium/hydrogen-treated titanium dioxide nanoparticles

Interactions between materials and electromagnetic irradiations in the microwave frequency are critical for many civil and military applications, such as radar detection, communications, information processing and transport et al. Dipole rotations or magnetic domain resonance are the mainly traditional mechanisms for microwave absorption. The recent finding of the excellent microwave absorption from hydrogenated TiO2 nanoparticles provides us an alternative approach for achieving such absorption, by manipulating the structural defects inside nanoparticles through hydrogenation. In this study, we demonstrate that the microwave absorption can be not only achieved but fine-tuned with TiO2 nanoparticles thermally treated in a Mg/H2 environment. Their position and efficiency can be effectively controlled by the treating temperature. Specifically, the microwave absorption position shifts to the lower frequency region as the treating temperature increases, and there seems to exist an optimal treating temperature to obtain the maximum efficiency, as the absorbing efficiency first increases, and then decreases, with the increase in treatment temperature. Therefore, this study enriches our knowledge and understanding microwave absorption from TiO2-based nanomaterials which may inspire new ideas on other systems to enhance their performance as well.