Preparation and characterisation of electromagnetic shielding medium-density fiberboard using Iron oxide nanoparticles

A special medium-density fiberboard (MDF) has been fabricated in order to electromagnetic shielding composite by adding iron oxide nanoparticles (NF) to wood fiber (WF). The aim of this work was to study the panel properties with different loadings (1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt %) of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The mechanical, physical, and Electromagnetic (EM) shielding properties of the produced fiberboard were analyzed. The maximum shielding effectiveness (SE) was 13.6 dB for the NF10 in the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz and the absorption had the main contribution to the SE of the panels rather than the reflection. Internal bonding (IB) of the MDF panel was increased by 8.5% by adding 1% Fe3O4 nanoparticles. After that, the IB decreased compared to the control one. The modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the MDF panels were less than the control panel. The MOR, MOE, IB, thickness swelling (TS), and water absorption (WA) of the panel with 10% Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NF10) panel showed 21.5, 2489, 0.56 MPa, 13.4%, and 61.4%, respectively. Generally, the fiberboard fabricated with 10% Fe3O4 nanoparticles indicated the ability for Electromagnetic shielding applications because of their acceptable properties according to the EN622-5 standard and appropriate EM shielding.