Electromagnetic wave absorption properties of graphene modified with carbon nanotube/poly(dimethyl siloxane) composites

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 73; pp. 185 - 193
• Main Authors: Kong, Luo, Yin, Xiaowei, Yuan, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Yajun, Liu, Xingmin, Cheng, Laifei, Zhang, Litong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Absorbing; Absorption; Bonding; Carbon nanotubes; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Dispersion (wave); Electromagnetic waves; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes and related materials; diamonds, graphite; Graphene; Materials science; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotubes; Physics; Siloxanes; Specific materials; Three dimensional; Wave absorption; Carbon nanotubes; Absorption; Composite materials; Graphene; Electromagnetic waves
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.02.054

By using a catalytic growth procedure, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are in situ formed on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheet at 600°C. CNTs growing on RGO planes through covalent C–C bond possess lower interfacial contact electrical resistance. As a hybrid structure, the CNTs/graphene (CNT/G) are well dispersed into poly (dimethyl siloxane). The hybrid combining electrically lossy CNTs and RGO, which disperses in electrically insulating matrix, constructs an electromagnetic wave (EM) absorbing material with ternary hierarchical architecture. The interfacial polarization in heterogeneous interface plays an important role in absorbing EM power. When the filler loading is 5wt.% and thickness of absorber is 2.75mm, the minimum value of reflection coefficient and the corresponding frequency are −55dB and 10.1GHz, and the effective absorption bandwidth reaches 3.5GHz. Therefore, combining the CNTs and graphene sheet into three-dimensional structures produces CNT/G hybrids that can be considered as an effective route to design light weight and high-performance EM absorbing material, while the effective EM absorption frequency can be designed.