Electromagnetic interference shielding performance of in-situ polymerized PANI/Fe3O4 nanocomposites in X-band frequency range

Pristine polyaniline and polyaniline/iron oxide-based nanocomposites with efficient microwave shielding properties have been synthesized by in-situ polymerization route. The morphological and molecular bonding properties of prepared samples have been examined using Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques, respectively. FESEM studies reveal the formation of 100-500 nm size agglomerates of polyaniline (PANI) and its nanocomposites with Fe3O4. FTIR spectroscopy endorses the synthesis of desired materials through the presence of required fundamental bands. Moreover, the increase in electrical conductivity with Fe3O4 can be analyzed through the enhancement in area under the curve of -NH+= band. The electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties of synthesized materials have been investigated in X-band region (8.2-12.4 GHz) of electromagnetic radiations. The total EMI blocking efficiency for pristine PANI sample is found to be similar to 31 dB, and the blocking efficiency of PANI is found to be further improved with the embedment of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in different concentrations. The synthesized materials are well-matched with the standards of industrial requirements in terms of shielding efficiency (i.e., > 30 dB), light weight and attenuation ability (> 99%). [GRAPHICS]