Recycled Polypropylene/Strontium Ferrite Polymer Composite Materials with Electromagnetic Shielding Properties

Abstract

This paper presents the obtaining and characterization of recycled polypropylene/strontium ferrite (PP/SrFe12O19) polymer composite materials with applications in the electromagnetic shielding of vehicle interiors (mainly automotive electronics—carcasses) from the electromagnetic radiation emitted mainly by exterior sources—electrical lines and supply sources—in terms of the development of the new electrical vehicles. With this aim, suitable polymer composite materials were developed using SrFe12O19 filler in two forms (powder and concentrate). The recycled PP polymer and composite materials with a PP/SrFe12O19 weight ratio of 75/25 and 70/30 were obtained in two stages, i.e., pellets by extrusion and samples for testing through a melt injection process. The characterization of the obtained materials took into account the requirements imposed by the desired applications. It consisted of determining the mechanical and dielectric properties, and microstructure analyses, along with the determination of the resistance to the action of a temperature of 70 °C, which is higher than the temperatures created during the summer inside vehicles. The performance of these materials as electromagnetic shields was assessed through functional tests consisting of the determination of magnetic permeability and the estimation of the electromagnetic shielding efficiency (SE). The obtained results confirmed the improvement of the mechanical, dielectric, and magnetic properties of the PP/SrFe12O19 composites compared to the selected PP polymers. It is also found that all the composite materials exhibited reflective shielding properties (SER from −71.5 dB to −56.7 dB), with very little absorption shielding. The most performant material was the composite made of PP/SrFe12O19 powder with a weight ratio of 70/30. The promising results recommend this composite material for potential use in automotive shielding applications against electromagnetic pollution.