Synthesis and characterization of γ-Fe₂O₃@C nanorod-carbon sphere composite and its application as microwave absorbing material

Core-shell structured γ-Fe₂O₃@C nanorod-carbon sphere composites have been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method employing FeCl₃·6H₂O as the iron source and d-glucose as the carbon source. The core-shell structured γ-Fe₂O₃@C nanorods possess a uniform size with ∼500-800 nm in length, the carbon shell's thickness is ∼3-10 nm, and the γ-Fe₂O₃ core is homogeneously coated by amorphous carbon layer. The measured electromagnetic (EM) parameters show that its maximum reflection loss (RL) can reach -8.11 dB at 3.92 GHz. This is mainly attributed to the multiple-interfacial polarization among the core-shell structured γ-Fe₂O₃@C nanorod-carbon sphere composites. The core-shell structured γ-Fe₂O₃@C nanorod-carbon sphere composites can be a promising candidate for lightweight microwave materials.