Tunable magneto-optical and interfacial defects of Nd and Cr-doped bismuth ferrite nanoparticles for microwave absorber applications

Abstract Tunable microwave absorption characteristics are highly desirable for industrial applications such as antenna, absorber, and biomedical diagnostics. Here, we report BiNdxCrxFe1-2xO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15) nanoparticles (NPs) with electromagnetic matching, which exhibit tunable magneto-optical and feasible microwave absorption characteristics for microwave absorber applications. The experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate the original bismuth ferrite (BFO) crystal structure, while Nd and Cr injection in the BFO structure may cause to minimize dielectric losses and enhance magnetization by producing interfacial defects in the spinel structure. Nd and Cr co-doping plays a key role in ordering the BFO crystal structure, resulting in improved microwave absorption characteristics. The BiNd0.10Cr0.10Fe1.8O3 (BNCF2) sample exhibits a remarkable reflection loss (RL) of −37.7 dB with a 3-mm thickness in the 10.15 GHz-10.30 GHz frequency region. Therefore, Nd and Cr doping in BFO nanoparticles opens a new pathway to construct highly efficient BFO-based materials for tunable frequency, stealth, and microwave absorber applications.