Microwave absorbing material processing by impregnation of glass fabrics with polyaniline conducting polymer

Abstract

The technology knowledge of radar absorbing material processing, involving the combination of components as substrates, fillers and polymeric matrices, with adequate values of dielectric constants and loss tangent, is decisive in the final application of a product. The adequate correlation allows that the processed material changes from transmitters to microwave absorbers. This work aims to establish the preparation of dielectric absorbing material by using glass fabric impregnation with conducting polymer. For this, the conducting polymer polyaniline (PAni) was synthesized. Using glass fabric as substrate of PAni-polyurethane (PU) mixture the absorbing material was processed. The behavior of this absorber was evaluated correlating its reflectivity values, at the frequency range of 8 - 12 GHz, with the scanning electron microscopy observations. The results showed that the glass fabric is adequate to process flexible absorbers which show radiation attenuation of nearly 98%. It was also verified a relation between the characteristics of the conducting material impregnated in the substrate and the different values of the obtained reflectivity.