X, Ku-band microwave-absorption properties of polyarylene ether nitriles terminated with phthalonitrile/Fe3O4 hybrid submicron spheres

• PEN-t-Ph/Fe3O4 hybrid spheres were prepared via one-step solvothermal method.
• Polymer compatibility is introduced into inorganic submicron spheres successfully.
• PEN-t-Ph/Fe3O4 hybrid submicron spheres possessed good ferrimagnetism.
• Control the microwave absorption band of PEN-t-Ph/Fe3O4 hybrid submicron spheres.

A novel series of PEN-t-Ph/Fe3O4 hybrid submicron spheres with different additions of PEN-t-Ph have been prepared successfully via solvothermal method, and their structures and morphologies were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the crystallinity, dispersity, and size of hybrid submicron spheres can be controlled by altering the addition content of PEN-t-Ph. Magnetization measurement showed that the PEN-t-Ph/Fe3O4 hybrid submicron spheres possessed good ferrimagnetism. The electromagnetic measurement indicated that the resonance peaks of complex permittivity, complex permeability, dielectric loss, and magnetic loss were shifted to the higher frequency as the addition of PEN-t-Ph increased. Moreover, the microwave absorption band was also shifted to higher frequency as the addition of PEN-t-Ph increased. Through this method, the polymer compatibility can be introduced into inorganic submicron spheres, which could provide the inorganic particles with more applications.