"Study on Shielding Effectiveness and Efficiency of Polyaniline/CuO composites in the UV Region of the Electromagnetic Spectrum"

Abstract

This study investigates the synthesis, structural characterization, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of polyaniline (PANI)/copper oxide (CuO) nanocomposites in the ultraviolet (UV) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The composites were synthesized via an ex-situ approach by incorporating varying weight percentages (1–3 wt%) of CuO into the PANI matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of PANI and the structural purity of CuO, with enhanced crystallinity observed in the composites. UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed characteristic π–π* transitions in PANI and additional absorption features associated with CuO, along with a red shift indicating strong interfacial interaction. The UV shielding effectiveness (SE) and shielding efficiency were evaluated in the frequency range of 789.4–882.3 THz. All samples demonstrated excellent EMI shielding performance, with efficiencies exceeding 95%. Samples with 2 wt% and 3 wt% CuO exhibited the highest shielding efficiencies of up to 99.7%, attributed primarily to absorption-dominated mechanisms. These findings highlight the potential of PANI/CuO nanocomposites as efficient, lightweight materials for UV-region EMI shielding applications.