EMI shielding properties of polymer blends with inclusion of graphene nano platelets

Polymer blends of poly vinyle chloride (PVC) and polyaniline (PANI) with the inclusion of graphene nano platelets (GNP) are fabricated to enhance the EMI shielding effectiveness. The initial assessment with cyclic voltammetry has shown improved electrical conductivity both for PVC/PANI blends and PVC/PANI/GNP composites. The capacitive effect of the blends and composites is evaluated at lower frequency region (100 Hz−5 MHz). EMI shielding measurements of PVC/PANI/GNP composites is performed in the frequency range 10 MHz–20 GHz. In case of PVC/PANI (15 wt%) blends, a maximum attenuation of ∼27 dB is attained which is enhanced to ∼51 dB (max.) with the inclusion of 5 wt% GNP, mainly due to the absorption phenomena. The enhanced shielding effectiveness is achieved mainly in the frequency range 11–20 GHz. The dispersion state, fillers nature and their interaction may be the main aspects for the enhanced EMI shielding effectiveness of hybrid polymeric nanocomposites.