Bi-doped barium ferrite decorated polythiophene nanocomposite: influence of Bi-doping on structure, morphology, thermal and EMI shielding behavior for X-band

The electronic and communication devices such as mobile, laptop, and radio ease our day-to-day life. However, these devices emit harmful radiation, which affects human health and the environment. Therefore, to prevent such radiation-based pollution and provide a safer working environment, viable and promising EMI shielding materials have been investigated. Keeping this in mind, the present work reports the relatively low-temperature synthesis of bismuth-doped barium ferrite (BaBi x Fe 12− x O 19 , Bi-BFO) nanoparticles and their nanocomposite via sol–gel and in situ emulsion polymerization approaches for their application in EMI shielding material. The influence of Bi-doping on phase purity, morphology, structure, and thermal behavior has been explored. The EMI shielding properties of these materials have been investigated in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) region. The composite (Bi-BFO:PT = 2:1 Bi-BFO/PTh-21) with 1 mm thickness exhibited maximum shielding effectiveness (SE) of − 47.12 dB in the X-band region. The high shielding activity is mainly due to the efficient complementarities between the magnetic and dielectric loss. The doping of Bi in barium ferrite results in the increase in electrical polarization that led to the high dielectric loss, causing higher absorption of electromagnetic (EM) waves. These studies suggest that the nanocomposite may find its scope as an excellent microwave absorber for a wide frequency region. Graphic abstract