Morphological and Structural Characterization of Metal Oxide-Based Materials for EMI Shielding applications
Oana Brincoveanu1, Cosmin Romanitan1, Petronela Pascariu1, Manica Marina1, Lucian Barbu3, Septimiu Tripon3, Mirela Suchea1.2*, and Emmanouel Koudoumas1*,2
1 National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies-IMT Bucharest, 126A, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Voluntari-Bucharest Romania
2 Center of Materials Technology and Photonics, School of Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
3 Electron Microscopy Integrated Laboratory, National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donath Str., Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, 400293, Romania
Abstract:
The morphological and structural properties of metal oxide-based materials play a crucial role in their performance for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. In this study, pure and doped with 1% lanthanum (La), erbium (Er), and samarium (Sm) zinc oxide (ZnO) was synthesized using the electrospinning -calcination method and characterized through X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
SEM and TEM analyses revealed that the ZnO structures consist of a mixture of nanoparticles and nanorods, with variations in length and diameter depending on the dopant type. The dimensions of the nanorods were measured from multiple regions in the SEM images, and histograms for each sample were generated using the ImageJ program, to quantify these morphological differences. EDX confirmed that the doping levels closely matched the intended values, verifying the successful incorporation of La, Er, and Sm into the ZnO matrix. Additionally, interplanar distances were calculated from TEM images using Gatan software, providing further insights into structural modifications induced by doping. The correlation between doping concentration and morphological variations suggests that rare-earth incorporation significantly influences particle growth and nanorod formation. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the structural evolution of doped ZnO and highlight its potential for improved dielectric properties and superior EMI shielding performance.
Acknowledgments:
This work was partially supported by PNRR/2022/C9/MCID/I8 CF23/14 11 2022 contract 760101/23.05.2023 financed by the Ministry of Research, innovation and Digitalization – within the – PNRR III-C9-2022-I8 PNRR/2022/Component 9/investment8 and National Core Project “Advanced research in micro-nano-electronic devices, photonics, sensors, and microsystems for societal applications – µNanoEl" Contract no 8N/03.01.2023 supported by Romanian Ministry of Education and Research.
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