Superior electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness and electro-mechanical properties of EMA-IRGO nanocomposites through the in-situ reduction of GO from melt blended EMA-GO composites

Fabrication of high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding efficient polymer-graphene nanocomposite is very challenging approach against electromagnetic pollution. Present work emphasizes on the preparation of in-situ reduced graphene oxide (IRGO) through in-situ melt blending of ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA) and graphene oxide (GO) to achieve enhanced shielding efficiency (SE) with controlled electro-mechanical properties of the composites. It involves the reduction mechanism of graphene oxide (GO) within polymer matrices, where efficacy highly influenced by methodologies, polymer chemistry as well as the processing parameters. 5 wt% IRGO loaded nanocomposite showed most improved shielding effectiveness (similar to 30 dB) over the frequency range of 8.2-12.4 GHz whereas beyond this loading (7 wt%) the re-aggregation of the IRGO platelets cannot be ruled out due to high surface energy of the GO. High abundance of GO in polymer matrix can form better conducting pathways but due to lack of dispersion, the stress transfer during mechanical workout become inferior than other GO loaded composites. This hybrid nanocomposite fashioned 3D conductive network through segregated architecture in the matrix to commit lower conductive percolation with remarkable mechanical strength for its structural integrity. We believe this promising strategy of developing single step EMA-in-situ RGO (EIRGO) nanocomposites with enhanced shielding efficiency and amendable electro-mechanical properties can endorse large-scale production for techno-commercial applications. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.