Electromagnetic Properties of NixZn1−xFe2O4/Diatomite Composites

Electromagnetic interference has attracted much attention in various areas, due to its unfavorable properties that interrupt electronic devices and threaten human health. Ferrite composites have been proved to be effective materials to solve this problem. However, the electromagnetic properties of ferrite composites need to be enhanced. To improve the electromagnetic properties of ferrite composites, Ni-Zn Ferrite absorbents and diatomite/Ni-Zn ferrite composites were prepared by the sol–gel method in this work. The functional groups, phase composition, and surface morphology of the composites were analyzed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, XRD, SEM and vector network analysis, and the electromagnetic parameters were measured. The effects of temperatures (450°C, 550°C, 650°C, 750°C) and molar ratios of raw materials on the microstructure and microwave-absorbing properties of microwave-absorbing materials were studied. The results show that the metal ions were successfully loaded onto the diatomite, and that a large number of SiO2 characteristic peaks appeared in the XRD pattern. As the heat-treatment temperature is 650°C, the surface pore structure is covered by ferrite. The reflection loss of NixZn1−xFe2O4/diatomite reaches − 21.65 dB at 10.62 GHz when the heat-treatment temperature is 650°C. The absorption effect of NixZn1−xFe2O4/diatomite is better than that without diatomite.