Polypyrrole/Schiff Base Composite as Electromagnetic Absorbing Material with High and Tunable Absorption Performance

Abstract

In recent years, Schiff base-related conjugated systems have received extensive attention, but little research has been done in the field of electromagnetic materials. In this work, an organic conjugated system based on polypyrrole/hydrazone Schiff base (PPy/HSB) composites was constructed via a Schiff base synthetic route and their electromagnetic behavior was investigated. The electromagnetic response of PPy/HSB complexes demonstrates fine electromagnetic absorption performance. When the filler loading is 30 wt% in a paraffin matrix, an absorption peak of −43.1 dB was achieved and its effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was located in the range of 10.88−18.0 GHz. The electromagnetic response behavior of PPy/HSB complexes is explained by models involving electronic structure, multi-polarization and conductive network. The mechanisms of PPy/HSB complexes formation and HSB crystallization are also discussed through the compatibility of PPy/HSB and the structure of HSB. Moreover, the morphology transformation of HSB in the PPy/HSB systems has been studied. This study opens the exploration of organic–dielectric conjugated systems in the field of electromagnetic materials, and significantly broadens the application range of organic–dielectric–dielectric composites.

Keywords

• polypyrrole
• Schiff base
• microwave absorption