Au⁺ irradiation regulated surface defects and dielectric properties of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂/CoFe₂O₄/epoxy composites

A focussed ion beam can change the structural, morphological, and electrical properties of polymer composites. In this work mechanical mixing technique is used to develop CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂/CoFe₂O₄/epoxy composites with CCTO loading (50wt%, 35wt%, 25wt%, and 15wt%). These composites were irradiated with 120 MeV Au⁺ beam at a constant fluence of 6 × 10¹² ions/cm² and their dielectric, morphological properties were investigated. The comprehensive examination of results revealed significant changes in surface morphology (polymer degradation, and rifts). The dielectric constant and dielectric loss of prepared composites was found to be ~ 35 and ~ 1.2, respectively. The hardness of composites was observed ~ 99 after irradiation. Ion irradiation induced physiochemical changes due to solid-ion interaction, which improvise composites applicability in microelectronic devices, and electromagnetic shields. Moreover, the mechanism of solid-ion interaction is conferred in the text.