Optically transparent polymer composites: A study on the influence of filler/dopant on electromagnetic interference shielding mechanism

Abstract

Abstract Composite materials made of polymers and carbon‐based ferromagnetic filler are attractive for electromagnetic interference shielding through a combination of reflection and microwave absorption. It is possible to enhance their shielding properties by controlling electrical conductivity, dielectric, and magnetic properties. In this work, the aforementioned properties are tailored to achieve optically transparent films with microwave absorbing properties. Nanocarbon materials, namely carbon nanotubes, graphene nanoribbons (GNR) and their ferromagnetic nanocomposites with Fe 3 O 4 and cobalt in PVA‐PEDOT:PSS matrix were made and tested in X‐band. The highest shielding effectiveness for PVA films with nanocarbon filler was observed for 0.5 wt% GNR − Fe 3 O 4 at 16.36 dB (9.7 GHz) with 79.8% transmittance.