Microwave Attenuation of Graphene Modified Thermoplastic Poly(Butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Nanocomposites

Abstract

With the widespread development and use of electronics and telecommunication devices, electromagnetic radiation has emerged as a new pollution. In this study, we fabricated flexible multifunctional nanocomposites by incorporating graphene nanoplatelets into a soft thermoplastic matrix and investigated its performance in attenuating electromagnetic radiation over frequency ranges of C (5.85–8.2 GHz), X (8.2–12.4 GHz), and Ku bands (12.4–18 GHz). Effects of nanofiller loading, sample thickness, and radiation frequency on the nanocomposites shielding effectiveness (SE) were investigated via experimental measurements and simulation. The highest rate of increase in SE was observed near percolation threshold of graphene. Comparison of reflectivity and absorptivity revealed that reflection played a major role in nanocomposites shielding potential for all frequencies while the low absorptivity was due to high power reflection at nanocomposite surface and thin thickness. Subsequently, effective absorbance calculations revealed the great potential of nanocomposites for absorbing microwaves, reaching more than 80%. Simulations confirmed the observed nanocomposites SE behaviours versus frequency. Depending on thickness, different frequency dependency behaviours were observed; for thin samples, SE remained unchanged, while for thicker samples it exhibited either increasing or decreasing trends with increasing frequency. At any fixed frequency, increasing the thickness resulted in sine-wave periodic changes in SE with a general increasing trend.

Electromagnetic Shielding by MXene-Graphene-PVDF Composite with Hydrophobic, Lightweight and Flexible Graphene Coated Fabric

“…However, in each case, equal amount of dispersed solutions was utilized. Thus, in this case, not only component loading but also structural feature of composite affect EMI SE ( Table S1 and Figure 1 , Figure 7 e and Figure S2 ) [ 77 , 81 , 82 ]. Further, the MXene based composite with less thickness generate relatively good EMI SE compare with other composite reported ( Figure 7 e) and the Al and Cu foil show exceptional EMI shielding of approximately 70 dB (~10 μm).…”

3D-MID Technology for Surface Modification of Polymer-Based Composites: A Comprehensive Review

“…Glass fiber, glass balls, and a wide of variety of mineral substances are used as reinforcing additive. As far as extending their thermal limits is a concern, the MID research conducted in the recent years has brought to light two main approaches, namely electron-beam crosslinking and the use of the filler system for modifying thermoplastics, which is capable of satisfying higher requirements, particularly those deriving from the production process [ 171 , 172 , 173 , 174 ].…”

Investigation of Shielding Effectiveness of M-Type Ba-Co-Ti Hexagonal Ferrite and Composite Materials in Microwave X-Band Systems

“…Recently, graphene composites have been found to be one of the most promising candidates for high-performance porous microwave absorbers in ref. [70] because of their 3D conductive network and multiple scattering. A qualified frequency bandwidth (reflection loss <−10 dB) reaches 5.28 GHz covering almost the entire Ku band at 2 mm thickness.…”

“…Microwave shielding effectiveness (SE) for X-band (8-12 GHz) and the flexural properties showed that the total SE of the nanocomposites was increased with the positive gradient of MWNT contents. Great efforts have been made to improve the requirements for microwave applications in X-band and new materials are being tested [70,[76][77][78]. Promising results were found and the search for new materials continues.…”