Synthesis, structure and electromagnetic properties of FeCoCu/C nanocomposites

FeCoCu ternary nanoparticles distributed and stabilized in the carbon matrix of FeCoCu/C metal-carbon nanocomposites have been synthesized using controlled IR pyrolysis of precursors consisting of the “polymer / iron acetylacetate / cobalt and copper acetates” type system obtained by joint dissolution of components followed by solvent removal. The effect of the synthesis temperature on the structure, composition and electromagnetic properties of the nanocomposites has been studied. By XRD was shown that the formation of the FeCoCu ternary nanoparticles occurs due to the interaction of Fe₃С with the nanoparticles of the CoCu solid solution. An increase in the synthesis temperature leads to an increase in the size of the metal nanoparticles due to their agglomeration and coalescence as a result of matrix reconstruction. Furthermore, ternary alloy nanoparticles having 
a variable composition may form depending on the synthesis temperature and the content ratio of the metals. Raman spectroscopy has shown that the crystallinity of the carbon matrix of the nanocomposites increases with the synthesis temperature. The frequency responses of the relative permittivity and permeability of the nanocomposites have been studied at 3–13 GHz. It has been shown that a change in the content ratio of the metals noticeably increases both the dielectric and the magnetic losses. The former loss is caused by the formation of a complex nanostructure of the nanocomposite carbon matrix while the latter one originates from an increase in the size of the nanoparticles and a shift of the natural ferromagnetic resonance frequency to the low-frequency region. The reflection loss has been calculated using a standard method from the experimental data on the frequency responses of the relative permittivity and permeability. It has been shown that the frequency range and the absorption of electromagnetic waves (from –20 to –52 dB) can be controlled by varying the content ratio of the metals in the precursor. The nanocomposites obtained as a result of the experiment deliver better results in comparison with FeCo/C nanocomposites synthesized under similar conditions.

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