Eco-friendly synthesis of polyaniline–graphitic oxide nanocomposites (PANI/GO NCs) for high performance electromagnetic interference shielding
摘要
Owing to catastrophic and devastating effects of electromagnetic radiation pollution, EMI shielding materials have become imperative. The large scale production, high cost, durability, sustainability, and disposability of shielding materials are the key challenges associated with conventional metal-based systems. Considering these issues, we herein present polyaniline/graphitic oxide nanocomposites (PANI/GO NCs) by varying the weight % of graphitic oxide (GO) from 2 to 10 wt%. Notably, the GO is prepared from e-waste derived graphite that significantly enhances the batch size (up to 100 g of GO is prepared in a single batch) and reduces the cost of precursor materials. Comprehensive characterization techniques including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) are employed to investigate the morphological, structural, thermal and electrical properties of PANI/GO NCs. The study specifically probed EMI shielding effectiveness of proposed NCs in the Ku-band frequency range of 12.4–18 GHz. The PANI/GO NCs achieve a tunable shielding effectiveness between 14 and 63 dB comparable to traditional metal shields. The nanocomposites block more than 99.9% of incident electromagnetic waves with a thickness of 1 mm. Moreover, being carbonaceous in nature the PANI/GO NCs are easily disposable at the end-of-life utility. This paves the path for the cost-effective and sustainable commercial EMI shields in medical devices, military hardware and aerospace component applications.