Electromagnetic Absorption Shielding of Rubber Magnetic Composites

Ján Kruželák and Andrea Kvasničáková
Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava

Abstract

In the past few decades, the modernization in the field of science and technology has created a new kind of pollution, i.e. electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI is the interference of one electromagnetic signal produced or received by another electronic device. As a consequence, one electronic element adversely affects the other’s performance. With the rapid development and rejuvenation of gadgets, there is a steady increase in the electromagnetic pollution. Composite materials filled with ferrite particles based on polymer matrix are currently the subject of intensive research due to their ability to efficiently shield electromagnetic radiation. Acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber was used as rubber matrix. Rubber composites were prepared by incorporation of magnetic soft manganese-zinc ferrite. Besides the rubber and the filler, the rubber compounds contained only ingredients needed for the vulcanization process. The contents of these raw materials were the same in all rubber formulations, only the type and the content of filler was changed. The study was aimed at the preparation of rubber composite materials and evaluation of the influence of manganese-zinc ferrite on physical–mechanical properties and electromagnetic shielding performance of the composites. The results showed that although the tensile strength showed decreasing trend with increasing content of magnetic filler, the composites are able to efficiently shield harmful electromagnetic radiation in the selected frequency range. The biggest preference of these materials is their ability to shield the electromagnetic radiation by absorption mechanisms.

Presentation