The rapid increase in electromagnetic interference has received a serious attention from researchers who responded by producing a variety of radar absorbing materials especially at high gigahertz frequencies. Ongoing investigation is being carried out in order to find the best absorbing materials which can fulfill the requirements for smart absorbing materials which are lightweight, broad bandwidth absorption, stronger absorption etc. Thus, to improve the absorbing capability, several important parameters need to be taken into consideration such as filler type, loading level, type of polymer matrix, physical thickness, grain sizes, layers and bandwidth. Therefore, this article introduces the electromagnetic wave absorption mechanisms and then reveals and reviews those parameters that enhance the absorption performance.

Microwave absorption properties were systematically studied for double-layer carbon black/epoxy resin (cB) and ni 0.6 Zn 0.4 fe 2 o 4 /epoxy resin (F) nanocomposites in the frequency range of 8 to 18 GHz. The ni 0.6 Zn 0.4 fe 2 o 4 nanoparticles were synthesized via high energy ball milling with subsequent sintering while carbon black was commercially purchased. The materials were later incorporated into epoxy resin to fabricate double-layer composite structures with total thicknesses of 2 and 3 mm. The CB1/F1, in which carbon black as matching and ferrite as absorbing layer with each thickness of 1 mm, showed the highest microwave absorption of more than 99.9%, with minimum reflection loss of −33.8 dB but with an absorption bandwidth of only 2.7 GHz. Double layer absorbers with F1/CB1(ferrite as matching and carbon black as absorbing layer with each thickness of 1 mm) structure showed the best microwave absorption performance in which more than 99% microwave energy were absorbed, with promising minimum reflection loss of −24.0 dB, along with a wider bandwidth of 4.8 GHz and yet with a reduced thickness of only 2 mm.In order to address issues induced by high proliferation of electromagnetic interferences in both civil and military applications, efficient microwave absorbers are becoming highly desirable and necessary. For that reason, such material is required to effectively reduce the reflection of electromagnetic (EM) signals over a broad absorption bandwidth. In order to improve the performance of microwave absorption properties, microwave absorbers are designed to meet the specific requirements of simultaneously having strong absorption, wide frequency band, lightweight and small thickness. Improvements can certainly be made to the designs by physical assembling of different types of absorbents 1-5 , chemical decorated absorbents 6,7 as well as by designing multi-layer structures [8][9][10][11] .Microwave absorbers are produced using different kinds of materials including one dimensional (1D) materials such as carbon nanotubes 12-15 , two dimensional (2D) materials such as graphene 16,17 and bulk three dimensional (3D) materials such as ferrites 9,18-21 . The difference in the dimensional structure of the materials would largely affect the microwave absorption performances since different kinds of structures contribute to different www.nature.com/scientificreports www.nature.com/scientificreports/ the F1/CB1 sample showed the best all round performance, in which more than 99% microwave energy was absorbed, with a reflection loss of −24.0 dB and a widest bandwidth of 4.8 GHz at −10 dB, yet it is the thinnest among the three designs, having a total thickness of only 2 mm.

Nanocrystalline magnesium ferrites (MgFe2O4) were produced with an average grain size of about 20 nm. Their structural, morphological, and magnetic characterizations were studied. The cytotoxic effects of MgFe2O4nanoparticles in various concentrations (25, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 μg/mL) against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were analyzed. MTT assay findings suggest the increased accumulation of apoptotic bodies with the increasing concentration of MgFe2O4nanoparticles in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis shows that MgFe2O4nanoparticles in 800 μg/mL concentration are more cytotoxic compared to vehicle-treated MCF-7 cells and suggests their potential utility as a drug carrier in the treatment of cancer.

We report on a recycling project in which α-Al2O3 was produced from aluminum cans because no such work has been reported in literature. Heated aluminum cans were mixed with 8.0 M of H2SO4 solution to form an Al2(SO4)3 solution. The Al2(SO4)3 salt was contained in a white semi-liquid solution with excess H2SO4; some unreacted aluminum pieces were also present. The solution was filtered and mixed with ethanol in a ratio of 2:3, to form a white solid of Al2(SO4)3·18H2O. The Al2(SO4)3·18H2O was calcined in an electrical furnace for 3 h at temperatures of 400–1400 °C. The heating and cooling rates were 10 °C/min. XRD was used to investigate the phase changes at different temperatures and XRF was used to determine the elemental composition in the alumina produced. A series of different alumina compositions, made by repeated dehydration and desulfonation of the Al2(SO4)3·18H2O, is reported. All transitional alumina phases produced at low temperatures were converted to α-Al2O3 at high temperatures. The X-ray diffraction results indicated that the α-Al2O3 phase was realized when the calcination temperature was at 1200 °C or higher.

Spinel copper ferrite (CuFe 2 O 4 ) and zinc ferrite (ZnFe 2 O 4 ) nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol-gel self-combustion technique. The structural, functional, morphological and magnetic properties of the samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD patterns conform to the copper ferrite and zinc ferrite formation, and the average particle sizes were calculated by using a transmission electron microscope, the measured particle sizes being 56 nm for CuFe 2 O 4 and 68 nm for ZnFe 2 O 4. Both spinel ferrite nanoparticles exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with saturation magnetization of 31 emug´1 for copper ferrite (50.63 Am 2 /Kg) and 28.8 Am 2 /Kg for zinc ferrite. Both synthesized ferrite nanoparticles were equally effective in scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) free radicals. ZnFe 2 O 4 and CuFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles showed 30.57%˘1.0% and 28.69%˘1.14% scavenging activity at 125 µg/mL concentrations. In vitro cytotoxicity study revealed higher concentrations (>125 µg/mL) of ZnFe 2 O 4 and CuFe 2 O 4 with increased toxicity against MCF-7 cells, but were found to be non-toxic at lower concentrations suggesting their biocompatibility.

Manganese ferrite (MnFe 2 O 4 ) magnetic nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a sol-gel self-combustion technique using iron nitrate and manganese nitrate, followed by calcination at 150˝C for 24 h. Calcined sample was systematically characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and vibrational sample magnetometry (VSM) in order to identify the crystalline phase, functional group, morphology, particle size, shape and magnetic behavior. It was observed that the resultant spinal ferrites obtained at low temperature exhibit single phase, nanoparticle size and good magnetic behavior. The study results have revealed the existence of a potent dose dependent cytotoxic effect of MnFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles against 4T1 cell lines at varying concentrations with IC 50 values of 210, 198 and 171 µg/mL after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h of incubation, respectively. Cells exposed to higher concentrations of nanoparticles showed a progressive increase of apoptotic and necrotic activity. Below 125 µg/mL concentration the nanoparticles were biocompatible with 4T1 cells.

Experimental data for Ce-doped TiO2 are interpreted through solubility mechanisms, structural analogies, defect energies, and a new defect equilibria formalism.

In order to study the response of human breast cancer cells' exposure to nanoparticle, iron oxide ( -Fe 2 O 3 ) nanoparticles were synthesized by a simple low temperature combustion method using Fe(NO 3 ) 3 ⋅9H 2 O as raw material. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed that the resultant powders are pure -Fe 2 O 3 . Transmission electron microscopy study revealed the spherical shape of the primary particles, and the size of the iron oxide nanoparticles is in the range of 19 nm. The magnetic hysteresis loops demonstrated that the sample exposed ferromagnetic behaviors with a relatively low coercivity. The cytotoxicity of -Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticle was also evaluated on human breast cancer cells to address the current deficient knowledge of cellular response to nanoparticle exposure.