Faculty of Radiophysics scientists have developed a device that improves the properties of radar-absorbing materials while they are being created. It acts on materials with a constant magnetic field, while the chemical composition and proportions remain the same as with other methods of creation. The new technique leads to improved radar-absorbing properties and reduces the weight and size of various devices, for example, radio stations. This is the first time this technique has been used, and scientists have already received a patent for the device and applied for a patent for the method.
Composite materials are multicomponent materials whose composition can be varied to get the desired set of properties. A device for creating magnetic composite radio materials based on hexaferrites and a new technique were developed by Dmitry Vagner, a graduate student of the TSU Faculty of Radiophysics, under the guidance of Olga Dotsenko, associate professor of the Department of Radioelectronics.
- If, for example, a TV and a microwave are nearby and their side electromagnetic radiation acts on each other, this is not critical. Perhaps the device will break faster or some of its functional parts will fail. In the military or space industries, such proximity of two devices, for example, a radio station on a communication center, can lead to great consequences, - said Dmitry Vagner. - Therefore, it is necessary to develop radar-absorbing composite materials capable of providing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).
When creating any high-frequency device in the industry, it must be tested for electromagnetic compatibility. Radar absorbing materials with the properties required by the manufacturer are used during their passage. Various manufacturing methods are then used to improve the characteristics of this material: the chemical formula or preparation conditions are changed, or components of another material are added.
- My supervisor set the task: to find a way to manufacture composite radio material and improve its properties without changing the chemical composition and volume of the initial components,- said Dmitry Vagner.
To solve the problem, the scientist developed a facility for magnetic texturing of composite magnetic materials. The composite material is made by exposure to a magnetic field, which leads to the alignment of the filler particles in one direction. An ordered structure leads to a twofold increase in complex magnetic permeability in a wide frequency range. Due to this, less radiation material is needed to absorb radiation, which means that its size and weight can be significantly reduced