Electromagnetic and Microwave Absorption Properties of Hybrid FeCrAl/Ti₃SiC₂ Composite in X-Band

Hybrid magnetic–dielectric absorbers for electromagnetic applications consisting of FeCrAl and Ti₃SiC₂ powders have been fabricated by a ball-milling process and their electromagnetic characteristics and microwave absorption performance investigated in the frequency range from 8.2 GHz to 12.4 GHz. The dielectric loss increased with increasing Ti₃SiC₂ content, while the magnetic loss decreased. The electromagnetic parameters of the hybrid FeCrAl/Ti₃SiC₂ powders could be adjusted by adding various contents of Ti₃SiC₂. The hybrid powder with 20 wt.% Ti₃SiC₂ and 80 wt.% FeCrAl presented the most favorable microwave absorption performance. For the sample with thickness of 2.6 mm, effective absorption (<−10 dB) was obtained in the frequency range from 8.4 GHz to 12.1 GHz with a minimum value of −43.6 dB at 9.7 GHz. These results indicate that hybrid FeCrAl/Ti₃SiC₂ powders with appropriate weight ratio present better absorption performance than FeCrAl powder alone. This study makes a significant contribution to exploration of microwave absorption materials with low density, thin thickness, broad absorption bandwidth, and strong absorptivity.