Terahertz Shielding Properties of Carbon Black Based Polymer Nanocomposites

Abstract

The majority of industry using high-speed communication systems is shifting towards higher frequencies, namely the terahertz range, to meet demands of more effective data transfer. Due to the rising number of devices working in terahertz range, effective shielding of electromagnetic interference (EMI) is required, and thus the need for novel shielding materials to reduce the electromagnetic pollution. Here, we show a study on optical and electrical properties of a series of ethylene co-butyl acrylate/carbon black (EBA/CB) composites with various CB loading. We investigate the transmittance, reflectance, shielding efficiency, absorption coefficient, refractive index and complex dielectric permittivity of the fabricated composites. Finally, we report a material that exhibits superior shielding efficiency (SE)—80 dB at 0.9 THz (14.44 vol% CB loading, 1 mm thick)—which is one of the highest SE values among non-metallic composite materials reported in the literature thus far. Importantly, 99% of the incoming radiation is absorbed by the material, significantly increasing its applicability. The absorption coefficient (α) reaches ~100 cm−1 for the samples with highest CB loading. The EBA/CB composites can be used as lightweight and flexible shielding packaging materials for electronics, as passive terahertz absorbers or as radiation shields for stealth applications.