Synthesis of porous iron oxide ceramics using Greek wooden templates and mill scale waste for EMI applications

The scope of this study is the synthesis of low cost iron oxide ceramics with porous structure for lightweight Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding applications, using mill scale waste as the initial material, utilizing Greek wood templates. These wood-templated iron oxide (Fe2O3) ceramics were prepared by impregnation of inorganic precursor solution, derivated from mill scale waste, into four different kinds of Greek native wood templates; pine, fir, poplar and beech, followed by thermal treatment. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the microstructure of the prepared wood-templated iron oxide specimens. Their iron and oxygen contents were validated by Scanning Electron Microscopy–Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM–EDX) and their mineralogical composition by X-ray Powder Diffractometry (XRD). The wooden substances were found to be completely removed and the synthesized Fe2O3 (hematite) was confirmed by XRD, as a single phase. It is also demonstrated that the structures of the iron oxide were hierarchically porous developed according to the wood templates. Moreover, the pore shape and size distribution showed a dependence on the calcination temperature and wood template. Specifically, the temperature increase from 1000 °C to 1200 °C created larger but less pores in μm scale. Finally these low cost iron oxide ceramics exhibited electrical (mainly) and magnetic properties suitable for electromagnetic shielding applications.