Synthesis of rGO-Fe3O4 and La4BaCu5O13.10 and their polymer composites for electromagnetic interference shielding applications

Abstract

This article reports polymer-based composites and their shielding effectiveness in X-band frequency. We synthesized rGO-Fe3O4 and La4BaCu5O13.10 using one-pot hydrothermal and nitrate citrate gel method respectively. Their phase purity and structural, functional, and morphological characterization are confirmed with PXRD, FTIR, and SEM characterization techniques. The shielding effectiveness (SE) and their mechanism were studied by incorporating synthesized nanomaterials with multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) in an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer matrix with a uniform thickness of 1 mm. rGO-Fe3O4 along with MWCNT in the ABS matrix, shows a total shielding efficiency (SET) of 26 dB with a percentage of absorption of 70 %, in comparison to La4BaCu5O13.10 with MWCNT in the ABS matrix shows SET 24 dB with absorption percentage 80 %. The SET of the two composites is comparable, but their mechanism of shielding EM waves differs considerably. Understanding the shielding mechanism allows one to choose fillers with magnetic, dielectric, or metallic properties for different EM applications. It also provides insight into designing shielding materials to achieve maximum shielding ability by blending different filler materials.