The influence of Fe3O4@GNP hybrids on enhancing the EMI shielding effectiveness of epoxy composites in the X-band

In this work, the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness in the X band frequency range of 8-12.4 GHz of epoxy nanocomposites containing Fe3O4 nanoparticles decorated graphene nanoplatelets (i.e., Fe3O4@GNP hybrids) is investigated. The hybrid nanostructures were synthesized in situ by a simple co-precipitation technique and were incorporated into the epoxy matrix by melt blending following a solvent-less approach. Scanning electron microscopy performed on the hybrid nanostructures revealed a good distribution of Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the GNP sheets in the hybrid. A series of epoxy nanocomposites containing varying content of Fe3O4@GNP, GNP and/or Fe3O4 nanoparticles were synthesized and compared for their EMI shielding effectiveness. The SEM of the composite cross-section reveals good filler dispersion in the composites. Overall the nanocomposites containing Fe3O4@GNP hybrids exhibited enhanced EMI shielding performance when compared to samples containing equivalent loading of only GNP and/or Fe3O4. The 1 mm thick composite sample containing 1:3 (wt/wt) Fe3O4: GNP hybrid attenuated 89 % of incident wave power and exhibited an EMI shielding effectiveness value of 9.6 dB in the X-band.