Comparative study of Microwave Absorption in Trilayered Hybrid Nanocomposites containing MWCNTs with different aspect ratios
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Abstract
Research in materials science and telecommunications has intensified owing to the increasing demand for lightweight, broadband, and high-performance electromagnetic (EM) absorbers. The efficiency of these absorbers depends significantly on the microstructural features of lossy filler materials. This study examined the influence of the aspect ratio of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the absorption characteristics of trilayered microwave absorbers. Composites comprising E-glass, epoxy, MWCNTs, and nickel zinc ferrite (NZF) were fabricated using MWCNTs with two different aspect ratios of 115 (low) and 315 (high). Experimental measurements and analytical calculations using transmission line theory were used to evaluate the dielectric and magnetic losses and microwave absorption of the prepared composites. The MWCNTs with a lower aspect ratio in the absorber exhibited a bandwidth of 1.8 GHz with a -10 dB reflection loss (RL) at a thickness of 3 mm. For the same thickness, high-aspect-ratio composites achieved an RL of –10 dB across a 3.6 GHz bandwidth. This denotes a significant enhancement in microwave absorption compared with composites with lower aspect ratios in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz). These results demonstrate that the use of high-aspect-ratio MWCNTs improves wave interaction, offering an effective method for designing lightweight, broadband absorbers that are ideal for applications in defense, aerospace, and advanced electronic systems.
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