Electromagnetic Properties of Oriented Carbon Fiber/Co(0.6)Cu(0.4)Fe2O4/Epoxy Composites for Microwave Absorption Applications
Ahmad Alfiannur Utama(a*), Jan Setiawan(b*), Budhy Kurniawan R (a*)

(a) Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424, Indonesia
(*bkuru[at]fisika.ui.ac.id,*ahmad.alfiannur51[at]ui.ac.id)
(b) Research Center for Advanced Materials, National Research and Innovation Agency, Kawasan Sains Teknologi B.J. Habibie, Serpong 15314, Indonesia
*jan.setiawan[at]brin.go.id

Abstract

Lightweight microwave-absorbing materials have attracted increasing attention for electromagnetic interference shielding and radar-absorbing applications due to their excellent electromagnetic attenuation capability and structural advantages. In this study, Co(0.6)Cu(0.4)Fe2O4/carbon fiber/epoxy composites were fabricated to investigate the influence of carbon fiber orientation on electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption performance. The electromagnetic parameters were characterized using a vector network analyzer and analyzed through the Nicolson-Ross-Weir method to determine complex permittivity, complex permeability, attenuation constant, impedance matching characteristics, and reflection loss behavior within the microwave frequency range. The results revealed that carbon fiber orientation significantly affected dielectric response and attenuation capability. Improved fiber alignment enhanced conductive network formation and interfacial polarization between carbon fiber, Co(0.6)Cu(0.4)Fe2O4, and epoxy matrix, resulting in higher dielectric loss performance. Meanwhile, Co(0.6)Cu(0.4)FeFe2O4 contributed to magnetic loss mechanisms through magnetic resonance interactions, producing synergistic dielectric-magnetic attenuation effects. The optimized composite exhibited a minimum reflection loss of approximately -36.7 dB and an effective absorption bandwidth below -10 dB over several microwave frequency regions. Enhanced microwave absorption performance was attributed to conductive loss, interfacial polarization, magnetic resonance, multiple scattering effects, and improved impedance matching characteristics within the composite structure.

Keywords: Carbon fiber orientation, Microwave absorption, Impedance matching, Stealth technology, based ferrite

Topic: Material Physics