UHF and X Band Electro-Magnetic Shielding of Advanced Devices by Some Polymer–Composites

Electro-magnetic interference (EMI) affects delicate electronic devices and living beings. Composites of a polymeric binder with fine metallic turnings (copper and brass), powders of conducting inorganic compounds (suitably fired cadmium oxide), ferroelectric powders (BaTiO3 and orthorhombic PbNb2O6), and with their combinations have been prepared as cloth-like sheets, and characterized in a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) with respect to EMI shielding and reflection capabilities. Input power (Pin) for the EMI shield (above-mentioned test materials), the reflected power (Prefl) and the transmitted power (Pout) have been measured by the VNA as a function of EM wave frequency in two technically important frequency bands in 700 MHz to 3 GHz part of the ultra-high frequency (UHF) band and in the X-band, covering 8 to 12 GHz. From the measured data, Shielding Effectiveness in dB unit = 10 log (Pout / Pin) and Reflection Effectiveness in dB = 10 log (Prefl / Pin) have been calculated and studied for all the samples, with the results presented and discussed. In particular, our substitution of expensive metal powders by fine metallic turnings, available as waste from mechanical workshops, reduces the cost of polymer-metal composites substantially, retaining high shielding i.e. low transmission (down to -33dB in 08 to 12 GHz range).