Comparative Analysis of Electromagnetic Response of PVA/MWCNT and Styrene-Acrylic Copolymer/MWCNT Composites

Abstract

The present paper focuses on electromagnetic response of polymeric composites with different concentrations of multiwall carbon nanotubes in the radio (20 Hz – 1 MHz) and microwave (26–36 GHz) frequency ranges. Widely available polymeric materials, such as PVA latex (polyvinyl acetate) and styrene-acrylic copolymer, were used as a matrix. Analysis of the experimental data demonstrated that in electromagnetic shielding applications one should give preference to the styrene-acrylic copolymer, as far as application of this matrix type allows reducing the percolation threshold in such composites. As a result, it allows reaching the necessary level of shielding at a lower filler concentration, while unique properties of the chosen polymer allow expanding the range of applications for the new materials.