The electromagnetic wave absorption properties of woven glass fiber composites filled with Sb2O3 and SnO2 nanoparticles doped mica pigments

In this study, the electromagnetic wave absorption properties of woven glass fiber reinforced epoxy composites with Sb2O3 and SnO2 nanoparticles doped mica pigments were investigated. Herein, we synthesized SnO2/mica, Sb2O3/mica, and Sb2O3:SnO2/mica pigments using the sol-gel method. Subsequently, mica pigments filled glass fiber/epoxy composite panels were fabricated with a vacuum assisted resin mold. The phase, crystal, and morphological examinations of particles confirm the deposition of SnO2 and Sb2O3 nanoparticles on the mica surfaces. The electromagnetic wave absorption properties of samples were measured using the S parameters and obtained dielectric data. Sb2O3:SnO2/mica particles display higher complex permittivity and dielectric loss values due to the strong interfacial polarization between conductive nano metal-oxide shells and mica surfaces. According to the calculated reflection loss values, Sb2O3:SnO2/mica particles exhibit superior electromagnetic wave absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss of -25.62 dB for 2.4 mm thicknesses with effective bandwidth between 9.3 and 12.4 GHz. The S parameters of the prepared structural composites with the size of 30 cm x 30 cm x 3 mm was determined by the free-space technique using the transmission line technique. According to the S-12 parameters, filled glass fiber/epoxy composite containing 25 wt% Sb2O3:SnO2/mica show a minimum reflection loss of -20.426 dB at 8.2 GHz with effective bandwidth between 8.2 and 9.67 GHz. These results indicate that Sb2O3:SnO2/mica-filled fiber/epoxy composite is an excellent candidate for the practical application of electromagnetic wave absorbers.