Preparation and Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Properties of Core-Shell Ni/TiO2 Microspheres

The composite microspheres with Ni cores and amorphous TiO2 shells (Ni@TiO2) were synthesized by a one-pot solvothermal method at 180°C for 15 h, which used nickel chloride hexahydrate as Ni source andtetrabutyl orthotitanate as Ti source. The Ni/TiO2 core/shell composites were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). A possible formation mechanism of core-shell Ni/TiO2 was proposed. Furthermore, the microwave absorption properties of these microspheres were investigated in terms of complex permittivity and permeability. The minimum reflection loss is-29.5 dB at 14.4 GHz for a layer of 4.0 mm thickness. Such phenomenon is attributed to the synergy effect between magnetic loss of Ni core and dielectric loss of amorphous TiO2 shell. The enhanced microwave absorption properties are also believed to be due to the unique coreshell structure. All results indicate that these Ni@TiO2 microspheres may be attractive candidate materials for electromagnetic wave absorption applications.