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Design of Ferrite-Graphene Based Thin Broadband Radar Wave

Absorber for Stealth Application
Ravi Panwar, Student Member, IEEE, Smitha Puthucheri, Dharmendra Singh, Senior Member, IEEE, Vijaya
Agarwala

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247667, Uttarakhand, India

Currently a wide range of materials are used for radar wave absorption. But, it is still a very challenging task to develop a thin
radar wave absorber that operates for a wide range of frequencies. The main objective of this work was to achieve good absorption
with wide bandwidth corresponds to reflection loss (RL) ≤ - 10 dB for lower thickness (≤ 2.0 mm) by developing ferrite-graphene (FG)
composites. A critical study has been carried out by varying the composition of FG to obtain wideband absorption with lower
thickness. The effective complex dielectric permittivity (ε', ε'') and effective complex magnetic permeability (μ', μ'') of composites were
measured using transmission/reflection waveguide method in the range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. These measured ε', ε'', μ', and μ'' values
have been used for the design of single and double layer absorber. The increasing G content in FG composites resulted in a reduction
of thickness and wide absorption bandwidth. Further, multilayer approach is adopted to enhance the radar wave absorption with
broad bandwidth at a lower absorber layer thickness. The double layer absorber shows a strong RL of - 55.28 dB at 10.2 GHz with
broad bandwidth of 3.1 GHz in the frequency range of 8.6 to 11.7 GHz. The multi-layering approach facilitated to attain a lower
absorber layer thickness of 1.7 mm. Findings provide an effective and feasible way to develop thin and broadband absorber which may
be utilized for stealth applications.

Index Terms— electromagnetic (EM) wave, genetic algorithm, graphene, radar absorbing material (RAM)

charge transfer phenomenon which alters the electronic

I. INTRODUCTION properties of G, leading to some novel electromagnetic (EM)

R ADAR wave absorbers have been the subject of intensive

research because of their applications in defence
(reduction of radar signature of ships, tanks, aircrafts, and
missiles) as well as in civilian applications (reduction of EM
interference among electronic and electrical circuits) [1]. The
absorbing material should provide good absorption over a
wide frequency range with lower thickness. However, strong
trade-off between thickness and bandwidth is a major issue for
development of high performance radar wave absorbers.
There have been several reports on the achievement of good
radar wave absorption using composite materials. Most
commonly studied and currently commercialized absorbers are
magnetic materials [2]-[7]. However, most of the experiments
reported so far are based on composites having similar
morphologies and their use is limited due to existence of
strong thickness-bandwidth tradeoff. Very few works are
reported where magnetic-conducting based heterogeneous
composites have been studied for the broadband absorption.
Graphene (G) has attracted research interest for potential
applications in various fields of engineering at microwave and
terahertz frequency due to important features like low density,
large specific surface area, high chemical stability and
outstanding electronic properties [8]. The development of FG
composite consisting of magnetic and carbon based elements
with distinct morphologies may be a significant step towards
the progress of novel radar wave absorber. Dispersion of G in
to magnetic materials like F can improve the absorption effect
due to the introduction of free charge carriers in to G. The
interfacial electronic interactions between F and G results in
Corresponding author: Dharmendra Singh (e-mail: dharmfec@iitr.ac.in).
properties in FG heterogeneous nanocomposites. Moreover,
presence of G in composite is helpful to reduce weight as well
as thickness, which is the primary necessity for a high-speed
aircraft. The particle size/shape, concentration, temperature
etc. are the few areas which have been focused by researchers
for obtaining the good absorption [2], [6]-[7]. But the
composition and structural integrity of absorber is also of great
concern, it is desirable to choose the optimal weight fraction
of F and G and adjust the dielectric, magnetic and EM wave
properties of composite to obtain the required absorbing
properties.
We have noticed from our previous studies that the material
property alone is not sufficient for the wide bandwidth of -10
dB absorption and less thickness below 2.0 mm [9]-[10]. The
use of some advanced EM techniques like multi-layering and
frequency selective surfaces along with good materials may be
expected to provide the unprecedented opportunity to explore
an innovative class of thin and broadband EM wave absorber
[11]-[15]. Multi-layering is comparatively simple approach to
enhance the absorption capability of composite material.
Therefore, this paper addresses the critical analysis of single
and double layer FG based nanocomposites for enhancing
absorption and reducing thickness of the absorber.
II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The radar wave absorption in FG based heterogeneous
composites strongly depends on the internal structure,
morphology and its composition. The FG composites
consisting of dielectric, magnetic and conducting elements
along with distinct morphologies can be engineered by
selecting suitable material composition. The absorption
performance can be achieved by two ways: (i) appropriate

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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
10.1109/TMAG.2015.2454431, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
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impedance matching and, (ii) loss mechanisms [1]-[2]. A
proper combination of ε', ε'', μ', and μ'' which satisfies the
condition of Zin=Z0, results in the reflection reduction by
proper impedance matching as follows:
Zin  Zo ( r /  r )1/ 2 tanh{j( 2 ft / c )( r r )1/ 2 } (1)
where, f-measurement frequency, t- thickness of layer, c-
velocity of light, Zin- input wave impedance of absorber, and
Zo - impedance of free space which can be expressed as Zo =
120 π = 377 Ω. RL as a function of Zin can be expressed as:
RL(dB)  20 log ( Zin  Z o ) / ( Zin  Z o ) (2)
Apart from this, another important concept relating to
excellent absorption is interface effect i.e., exchange coupling
interaction between different phases present in the composite,
which results in more losses due to corresponding change in
the EM properties. Fig. 1 shows the FG heterogeneous
composite based double layer absorber backed with Perfect
Electric Conductor (PEC). The good absorption of multilayer
composites may be attributed to frequency dispersion of
permittivity and permeability. The impedance match due to
employment of low impedance resonator layer and impedance
transformer layer may be responsible for good absorption of
the radar wave. The incident radar wave can travel deep inside
the heterogeneous multilayer composite as compared to single
layer composite and get absorbed by various mechanisms i.e.,
multiple internal reflections (due to layers discontinuity), loss
tangents etc. The destructive interference arising from
geometrical effects, results in erratic zig-zag movements
which give rise to a series of emergent waves, due to which
radar wave travel longer and more absorption takes place. The
detailed absorption mechanism is provided in our recently
reported works [12]-[13].
III. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three different combinations of composites consisting of
FG based materials are used in this study. The details of
composition of theses composites (i.e., F, FG1, FG2 and FG3)
are listed in Table I. The Ni-Zn doped SrFe12O19 nanoparticles
(i.e., F) have been prepared using low temperature sol-gel
auto-combustion method [15], and subjected to judicious heat
treatment at 800C for 4 h using bottom-up nanofabrication
approach. Further, G (received from Motley Exim Co, New
Delhi, India) has been added with F to form FG
nanocomposite and corresponding details are mentioned in
Table I. The two port transmission/reflection waveguide
approach has been used for the measurement of ε', ε'', μ', and
μ'' values of composites [9]. The details of experimental setup
and measured samples are reported in our previous works [9],
[13]. The genetic algorithm (GA) has been employed for the
optimization of multilayered heterogeneous composites [11].
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Morphology Analysis
Fig. 2 (a) and 2(b) shows the typical FESEM images of F and
G. FESEM image of F shows the presence of grains with
different shapes like hexagonal pyramids (region A) , cuboidal
(region B), and spherical shapes (region C), which reflects the
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heterogeneous nature of F. It can be inferred that, average
grain size of F lies in the range of 80-100 nm as also
confirmed through Zeta particle size analyzer with Model No.
Malvern Zeta Sizer ZS 90. Fig. 2 (b) confirms flaky nature of
G (region D) forming a layered structure (region E). The
effectiveness of flaky materials for enhanced absorption has
already been reported by Raolison et al. [16].
B. EM Parameter Measurement of Composite Materials
Fig. 3 shows the frequency dependence of ε', ε'', μ', and μ''
for the FG composites in the range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. A
distinct change of the relative dielectric permittivity and
relative magnetic permeability is noticed when G is mixed
with F, suggesting that the good EM absorption performance
of FG composites is mainly ascribed to the intrinsic change of
EM properties which is helpful to maintain impedance
matching. It is found that interfacial coupling between F and G
results in improved dielectric properties. This may be due to
charge transfer through the interface of FG composite. The
electric dipole, atomic and interfacial polarizations are few of
the important phenomenon’s that may be responsible for the
dielectric performance of the absorber. According to the free
electron theory, ε"=1/2 ε0πρf, where ε0 is the permittivity of
vacuum, ρ is the resistivity, and f is the desired frequency
range. It can be speculated that the larger ε" may apparently
originate from the conductive G on the surface of F
nanoparticles.
Considerable enhancement is observed in magnetic
properties of composites with addition of G nanoparticles as
depicted in Fig. 3 (c) and 3 (d). However, a sharp and abrupt
decrease in μ' and μ'' values with the increase of frequency is
observed for composites. Corresponding enhancement is
noticed in magnetic properties with addition of G due to
natural resonance mechanisms. Negative μ'' values for FG3
indicate that magnetic energy is radiated out from these
samples due to motion of charges. Moreover, one can notice
that there is inverse relationship between tanδε and tanδμ
values for all composites (as shown in Fig. 4), such inverse
trend can be explained based on RLC equivalent circuit model
[17].
C. Effect of Thickness on RL Characteristics of Single
Layer Absorber
Fig. 5 shows the frequency dependent RL curves for
materials F, FG1, FG2 and FG3 in the range of 8.2 to 12.4
GHz calculated with the help of equation 2. The dip in RL
indicates the occurrence of absorption or minimum reflection
for the particular thickness and frequency. The occurrence of
the dips is found to be due to a successive odd number
multiple of the quarter wavelength thickness of the absorber.
Fig. 5 (a) shows the RL characteristics for F in the thickness
range of 2.5 to 2.9 mm. The material F with 2.6 mm thickness
is found to possess a RL value of -28.26 dB at 9.9 GHz with
effective bandwidth (i.e., the frequency range in which RL is
less than -10 dB) of 3.3 GHz in the range of 8.2 to 11.5 GHz.
The absorption properties of composites are substantially
enhanced with introduction of varying proportion of G in F
nanoparticles. The absorption performance of FG1 composite
This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
10.1109/TMAG.2015.2454431, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
GD-12
is studied in the thickness range of 2.0 to 2.4 mm, and
corresponding results are depicted in Fig. 5 (b). The composite
FG1 with thickness of 2.1 mm provide RL of -27.68 dB at
10.8 GHz with corresponding bandwidth of 4.2 GHz in the
range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz. Fig. 5 (c) and 5 (d) depict the RL
properties of composites FG2 and FG3 for the thickness range
from 1.8 to 2.2 mm. The RL value of -29.8 dB at 10.1 GHz is
noticed for composite FG2 with 2.0 mm absorber layer
thickness. It is observed that, FG2 possess wide absorption
bandwidth of 3.5 GHz in the range of 8.3 to 11.8 GHz. The
composite FG3 having thickness of 2.0 mm provide RL of -
28.56 dB at 9.8 GHz with comparatively narrow bandwidth of
2.9 GHz in the range of 8.2 to 11.1 GHz. Above studies
illustrate that the absorption obtained at a higher thickness of
2.8 mm in F gradually reducing to 2.0 mm in FG composite.
The thickness for composites FG2 and FG3 is only 2.0 mm,
which is generally desirable for different EM applications.
Obviously, when thickness of absorber increase, the
absorption peaks shifts towards the lower frequency. As
shown in Fig. 5, the maximum absorption bandwidth of 4.2
GHz is observed for FG1 composite, which is larger than that
of other composites. It is found that effective absorption
bandwidth reduces with high G content in FG composites i.e.,
for FG2 and FG3, which is due to interfacial electronic
interactions as already explained.
D. Effect of Thickness on RL Characteristics of Double
Layer Absorber
The effect of thickness is also studied over RL
characteristics for double layer absorber, since it may provide
possibility to achieve absorption below a thickness 2.0 mm.
Fig. 6 depicts the frequency dependent RL characteristics for
double layer absorbers with three optimal solutions (shown in
Table II) selected from GA out of 21 possible solutions. It is
observed that, a double layer absorber with 1.7 mm thickness
provides a peak RL value of -55.28 dB at 10.2 GHz, with
corresponding -10 dB bandwidth of 3.1 GHz in the range of
8.6 to 11.7 GHz. The double layer absorbers with thickness of
1.8 mm possess a RL value of -41.0 dB at 10.0 GHz.
Moreover, the effective absorption bandwidth under -10 dB is
3.2 GHz in the range of 8.4 GHz to 11.6 GHz. Similarly, for a
double layer absorber having 1.9 mm thickness, RL value
approaches to -32.57 dB at 9.4 GHz with effective bandwidth
of 2.8 GHz in the range of 8.2 to 11.0 GHz. It is found that
double layer absorber with 1.7 mm thickness provides better
RL characteristics as compared to the RL values at other
thicknesses. Going one step further, RL characteristics of
double layer absorber with thickness of 1.7 mm are compared
with single layer absorbers having same absorber layer
thickness (i.e., 1.7 mm) as shown in Fig. 6. The observed
absorption may be the combined effect of exchange coupling
interactions between F and G, loss tangents due to material
heterogeneity, multiple internal reflections due to
discontinuity in the layers etc. It is interesting to note that the
FG based double layer heterogeneous composite contributed
to the enhanced absorption at a lower thickness of 1.7 mm,
which is fascinating outcome for the development of highly
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efficient thin and broadband absorber for stealth application.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work was supported in part by DRDO
(EXTRAMURAL research grant) New Delhi under Grant no.
ERIP/ER/1100411/M/01/1503.
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This article has been accepted for publication in a future issue of this journal, but has not been fully edited. Content may change prior to final publication. Citation information: DOI
10.1109/TMAG.2015.2454431, IEEE Transactions on Magnetics
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TABLE I DETAILS OF COMPOSITES USED WITH DIFFERENT F & G CONTENTS

Compositions Symbols used

Ferrite (100 wt %) F
Ferrite (90 wt %) + graphene (10 wt %) FG1
Ferrite (80 wt %) + graphene (20 wt %) FG2
Ferrite (70 wt %) + graphene (30 wt %) FG3

(c) (d)
TABLE II THREE OPTIMAL SOLUTIONS SELECTED BY GA OUT OF 21 Fig. 3. Frequency dependent (a) ε', (b) ε'', (c) µ' and, (d) µ'' for composites
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS F, FG1, FG2 and FG3 measured in the range of 8. 2 to 12.4 GHz
Three Choice Choice Thickness Thickness Total
optimal of of of layer 1 of layer 2 Thickness
solutions material material (in mm) (in mm) (in mm)
for for
layer 1 layer 2
1 FG2 FG3 0.8 0.9 1.7
2 FG2 FG3 0.9 0.9 1.8
3 FG2 FG3 0.8 1.1 1.9

(a) (b)
Fig. 4. Frequency dependent loss tangents (a) tan δ ε, and (b) tan δμ for
composites F, FG1, FG2 and FG3 obtained from ε', ε'', μ', and μ'' values

Fig. 1. A FG based double layer heterogeneous composite backed by

Perfect Electric Conductor (PEC) (a) (b)

(c) (d)
(a) (b) Fig. 5. Frequency and thickness dependent RL characteristics for F (t- 2.5 to
Fig. 2. FESEM images of (a) hexagonal shaped F nanoparticles (80-100 2.9 mm), FG1 (t- 2.0 to 2.4 mm), FG2 (t-1.8 to 2.2 mm) and FG3 (t - 1.8 to
nm) and, (b) G nanoparticles 2.2 mm) in the range of 8.2 to 12.4 GHz

(a) (b)
(a) (b) Fig. 6. RL characteristics for double layer absorbers (a) three optimal
solutions obtained from GA with corresponding thickness of 1.7 mm, 1.8
mm and 1.9 mm, respectively, and, (b) comparison of absorption
performance of double layer absorber with single layer absorber at 1.7 mm

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