Effect of carbon black content on electrical and microwave absorbing properties of polyaniline/carbon black nanocomposites

Carbon black coated with polyaniline, forming a core-shell structure, was synthesized by in situ polymerization at different carbon black contents (5-30 wt.%) and introduced into epoxy resin to be a microwave absorber. The spectroscopic characterizations of the formation processes of polyaniline/carbon black composites were studied using Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron spin resonance. Microwave absorbing properties were investigated by measuring reflection loss in the 2-18 and 18-40 GHz microwave frequencies range using the free space method. The results showed that a wider absorption frequency range could be obtained by adding different carbon black contents in polyaniline. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.