Abstract
Polymer composites containing carbon nanofillers are extensively developed for electromagnetic shielding applications, where lightweight and flexible materials are required. One example of the microwave absorbers can be thermoplastic fibers fabricated from copolyamide hot melt adhesives and 7 wt% of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, as presented in this paper. A broadband dielectric spectroscopy confirmed that the addition of carbon nanotubes significantly increased microwave electrical properties of the thin (diameter about 100 μm) thermoplastic fibers. Moreover, the dielectric properties are improved for the thicker fibers, and they are almost stable at the frequency range 26–40 GHz and not dependent on the temperature. The variances in the dielectric properties of the fibers are associated with the degree of orientation of carbon nanotubes and the presence of bundles, which were examined using a high-resolution scanning microscope. Analyzing the mechanical properties of the nanocomposite fibers, as an effect of the carbon nanotubes addition, an improvement in the stiffness of the fibers was observed, together with a decrease in the fibers’ elongation and tensile strength.
Highlights
The artificial electromagnetic radiation produced by various electric appliances has become a real problem in the present world
This paper describes a novel type of nanocomposite fibers manufactured from three kinds of copolyamide hot melt adhesives (HMAs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by a melt-spinning process
Thermoplastic nanocomposite fibers with MWCNTs were successfully developed with outstanding electromagnetic properties
Summary
The artificial electromagnetic radiation produced by various electric appliances has become a real problem in the present world. Depending on the type of device, electromagnetic waves occur in a broad frequency range, from 104 to 1012 Hz. more and more devices work in the same frequency range, resulting in waves accumulating in the form of so-called electromagnetic pollution or electromagnetic interference (EMI). Harmful is high power microwave radiation, which occurs in the range between 30 MHz and 300 GHz and is emitted by a significant number of devices such as mobile phones, microwave ovens, televisions, satellite communications, Wi-Fi, FM radio broadcasts, Bluetooth, wireless local area network (LAN), radars, global positioning system (GPS), or marine and military systems. Interaction and interference of the microwaves cause devices to malfunction and have an impact on the human central nervous system. Seeking and developing shielding materials that show high effectiveness has become increasingly examined in the last decades, and the research is fully justified [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
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