Structural and electrical properties of polyvinyl alcohol filled with barium hexaferrite nanoparticle composites for EMI shielding applications
摘要
The rapid expansion of modern communication technologies necessitates the development of efficient, lightweight, and flexible electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials. In this work a comprehensive study on the structural, electrical, and EMI shielding properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based composite films embedded with barium hexaferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉, BHF) nanoparticles. The composite films were prepared by solution casting method with (1-x) PVA + (x) BHF, (x = 0.00, 0.02, 0.05, 0.10). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses indicate a progressive decline in the crystallinity of the PVA matrix with increasing BHF content, attributed to strong interfacial interactions and disruption of the polymer’s hydrogen bonding network. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) reveals BHF concentration-dependent morphological features, with improved nanoparticles dispersion at optimal loadings. Interestingly, the electrical conductivity increases with enriching the content of conductive fillers in PVA matrix up to 16 times of pristine PVA conductivity. This enhancement significantly boosts the reflectivity component of EMI shielding. Furthermore, the composites exhibit a pronounced rise in dielectric constant, stemming from interfacial polarization between the ceramic filler and polymer chains. EMI shielding effectiveness improves substantially, with total shielding reaching up to 24 dB at 5 wt% BHF, 11 times increase over pure PVA. These findings underscore the potential of BHF-PVA nanocomposites as scalable and efficient EMI shielding materials for use in aerospace, defence, consumer electronics, and next-generation telecommunication systems.