Enhancement of Heat-Resistance of Carbonyl Iron Particles by Coating with Silica and Consequent Changes in Electromagnetic Properties

Silica-coated carbonyl iron particles (CIPs) are fabricated with the Stober method to improve their heat-resistance and wave-absorption properties. The morphology, heat-resistance, electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption of raw-CIPs and silica-coated CIPs are investigated using a scanning electron microscope, an energy dispersive spectrometer, a thermal-gravimetric analyzer, and a network analyzer. The results show that the heat-resistance of silica-coated CIPs is better than that of raw CIPs. The reflection losses exceeding -10 dB of silica-coated CIPs are obtained in the frequency range 9.3–12.4 GHz for the absorber thickness of 2.3 mm, and the same reflection losses of uncoated CIPs reach the data in the lower frequency range for the same thickness. The enhanced microwave absorption of silica-coated CIPs can be ascribed to the combination of proper electromagnetic impedance match and the decrease of dielectric permittivity.