La-substituted into the CuFe₂O₄ nanostructure: a study on its magnetic, crystal, morphological, optical, and microwave features

In this study, La-substituted into the CuFe₂O₄ nanostructure with diverse molar ratios were prepared using a modified sol–gel route and then they were characterized by the X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), and vector network analyzer (VNA) analysis. The results demonstrated that inserting La generated CuO and LaFeO₃ crystal structures as well as diminished ferromagnetic property of the prepared composites. The optical performance declared that loading La can tune the energy bandgap and light absorption. Additionally, the produced novel phases modified the morphology of the synthesized nanocomposites. The microwave absorbing characteristics were assessed by a silicone rubber medium, which La-substituted/silicone rubber composite illustrated a maximum reflection loss (RL) of − 73.95 dB at 11.10 GHz with a thickness of 2.50 mm; meanwhile, the composite gained an efficient bandwidth of 7.30 GHz (RL < − 10 dB) as well as 2.71 GHz (RL < − 20 dB) with 2.00 mm in thickness.