Affiliation:
1. Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering University of Toronto 5 King's College Road Toronto ON M5S 3G8 Canada
2. Department of Chemical Engineering University of Waterloo 200 University Avenue West Waterloo ON N2L 3G1 Canada
3. Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering University of Western Ontario 1151 Richmond Street London ON N6A 5B9 Canada
4. Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Alberta 9211‐116 Street NW Edmonton AB T6G 1H9 Canada
Abstract
AbstractBy leveraging the principles of electromagnetic theory and materials science, the characteristics of dielectric polymer composites can be optimized, eliminating repetitive trial‐and‐error in their application as electromagnetic absorbers (EMAs). Herein, a systematic framework for optimizing the thickness and composition of double‐layer EMAs is proposed, using a combination of transmission line, Debye relaxation, and Maxwell–Garnett theories. Following theoretical optimization, a double‐layered electrospun EMA is fabricated, which comprises a ≈1.17 mm thick matrix of styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) decorated with MXene on its fibrous structure. The second SBS layer, with a thickness of ≈0.52 mm, incorporates a hybrid of MXene and graphene nanoribbons (GNR) as conductive additives. The EMA exhibits durable electrical performance after 2000 tensile cycles, owing to the surface chemistry engineering and the novel in situ assembly technique. It is capable of shielding 99.9% of the incident wave and >80% absorptivity (A) over almost the entire Ku‐band. The EMA also exhibits desirable mechanical characteristics, such as >300% stretchability and full twist and wrinkle recoveries, making it an excellent choice for protective attire applications. Additionally, the introduced approach provides solutions for the advancement of tailorable polymer composite EMAs, with respect to specific criteria of the target wave frequency, effective absorption bandwidth, and absorption levels.
Funder
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Subject
Electrochemistry,Condensed Matter Physics,Biomaterials,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials