EMI shielding performance of graphene oxide reinforced polyaniline/polystyrene solution cast thin films

Abstract

Camphorsulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANI)-polystyrene (PS)-Graphene oxide (GO) nanocomposite films are synthesized by the solution casting technique, and the thickness obtained is approximately about ∼ 0.85 mm. The prepared composite films are investigated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrical conductivity is measured using the Four-probe technique, which yields the percolation threshold and critical exponent at 0.09 wt% and 0.6 respectively. The EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of PANI-PS-GO composite films is investigated in the microwave of 8 – 12 GHz frequency range (X-band range) and shows significant results. The results demonstrate that the interfacial polarization and charge transformation between the polymer matrix and GO contribute to enhanced shielding efficiency in the composite. The EMI SE of the composite is found to be 40 dB for the PANI-PS-GO nanocomposite film containing 1.5 wt% GO. The obtained results recommend that the proposed polymer nanocomposite system can be of immense potential as an efficient candidate for the novel EMI shielding materials in the X-band frequency range.