Chemical route synthesis of nanostructured BaFe₁₂O₁₉ for microwave absorption application

The synthesis of M-type barium hexaferrite (BaM) has been achieved through a chemical route employing barium nitrate and ferric nitrate as initial reactants while utilising citric acid as a fuel. X-ray diffraction confirms the polycrystalline nature of BaM nanoparticles (NPs) with a hexagonal structure in the P6 3 /mmc space group. The bending and stretching vibrations of metal–oxygen bonds are studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were used for the morphological and compositional analyses. BaM NPs are embedded in an epoxy matrix, chosen for its excellent thermal, chemical, and physical properties, to fabricate an absorber for assessing microwave absorption (MA) performance. This study provides detailed insights into the structural, morphological, and compositional properties of BaM NPs for enhanced MA performance in the X-band region. The permittivity, permeability, and reflection loss of BaM 1 –BaM 3 samples were analysed, revealing superior MA performance in the BaM 3 nanocomposite compared with BaM 1 and BaM 2 . Increasing the BaM NP concentration in the epoxy matrix from 10% to 30% elevates [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] values, boosting dielectric and magnetic losses due to enhanced interfacial and dipolar relaxation. This high magneto-dielectric loss in the BaM 3 nanocomposite significantly improves MA performance.