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Electrically conducting graphene-based polyurethane nanocomposites for microwave shielding applications in the Ku band

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Abstract

Electrically conducting, thermally reduced graphene nanosheets (TRG) were synthesized through thermal exfoliation and subsequent annealing of graphene oxide at 800 °C. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based nanocomposites with different concentrations (ranging between 0 and 5.5 vol%) of TRG nanosheets were prepared by the solution blending method. Morphology, phase purity, and conducting properties of TPU and TPU/TRG nanocomposites were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) and Raman spectroscopy. C-AFM images show the presence of electrically conducting TRG nanosheets embedded in the TPU matrix. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding measurements were also undertaken on 2-mm-thick rectangular pellets. Shielding parameters such as shielding effectiveness, DC electrical conductivity, and dielectric properties, i.e., real and imaginary parts of permittivity were investigated. Our results show that the TPU/TRG nanocomposite at 5.5 vol% loading exhibits an enhanced electrical conductivity of the order of 3.1 × 10−2 S/m and shows a superior EMI SE of ~−26 to −32 dB in the Ku band frequency region. EMI shielding values were found to be dominated by the material’s absorption behavior. The dielectric properties of TPU/TRG nanocomposites were also analyzed, and they demonstrate a good correlation with EMI shielding.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), India for providing financial assistance and IIT Delhi for providing all the experimental facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Textile Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India

    Taruna Bansala, Mangala Joshi & Samrat Mukhopadhyay

  2. Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 30010, Taiwan

    Ruey-an Doong & Manchal Chaudhary

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  1. Taruna Bansala
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  2. Mangala Joshi
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Correspondence to Mangala Joshi.

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Bansala, T., Joshi, M., Mukhopadhyay, S. et al. Electrically conducting graphene-based polyurethane nanocomposites for microwave shielding applications in the Ku band. J Mater Sci 52, 1546–1560 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-016-0449-8

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