Influence of Reduced Graphene Oxide Flakes Addition on the Electromagnetic Wave Absorption Performance of Silicon Carbide-Based Wave Absorber

The present study focuses on the electromagnetic (EM) wave absorption characteristics of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) flakes/silicon carbide (SiC) composites prepared by mechanically mixing SiC particles and rGO flakes in varying concentrations using a simple ball mill mixing route. The EM wave absorption characteristics of rGO flakes/SiC composites improved significantly in the Ku band with the dispersion of a small quantity of rGO flakes compared to pristine SiC. The rGO/SiC composites exhibited improved EM wave absorption characteristics at 2.2 mm. The synthesized composites achieved an improved EM wave absorption characteristics represented by minimum reflection loss (RL) and maximum - 10 dB absorption bandwidth values of - 39.51 dB and 5.04 GHz, respectively. The EM wave absorption efficiency represented a value of 27.65 dB GHz/mm for 2 wt.% rGO dispersion compared to a relatively low value of 3.4 dB GHz/mm for pure SiC, indicating enhanced EM wave attenuation behavior. Dispersion of rGO flakes which act as charge carriers improves the interfacial and dipole polarizations and causes multiple scattering and reflections of the EM waves, resulting in improved EM wave absorption characteristics for rGO/SiC composites. Improved EM wave absorption performance of ball mill-mixed rGO/SiC composites position it as a potential cost-effective and efficient EM wave absorbing candidate.