TITLE:
Dielectric and Microwave Properties of Natural Rubber Based Nanocomposites Containing Graphene
AUTHORS:
Omar A. Al-Hartomy, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Nikolay Dishovsky, Rossitsa Shtarkova, Vladimir Iliev, Ibrahim Mutlay, Farid El-Tantawy
KEYWORDS:
Nanocomposites; Natural Rubber; Graphene; Dielectric and Microwave Properties
JOURNAL NAME:
Materials Sciences and Applications,
Vol.3 No.7,
July
19,
2012
ABSTRACT: The development of carbon nanotubes based materials has been impeded by both their difficult dispersion in the polymer matrix and their high cost. The discovery of graphene and the subsequent development of graphene-based polymer nanocomposites is an important addition in the area of nanoscience and technology. In this study the influence of graphene nanoparticles (GNP) in concentrations from 2.0 to 10.0 phr on the dielectric (dielectric permittivity, dielectric loss angle tangent) and microwave (reflection coefficient, attenuation coefficient, shielding effectiveness) properties of nanocomposites on the basis of natural rubber has been investigated in the wide frequency range (1 - 12 GHz). The results achieved allow recommending graphene as a filler for natural rubber based composites to afford specific dielectric and microwave properties, especially when their loading with the much more expensive carbon nanotubes is not possible.