Abstract

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is undesirable and uncontrolled interference with the signal of intelligence. This is controlled by using either novel materials, or appropriate electronic design or a combination of both. In this context, functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (FMWCNTs) have been proposed to use as EM shielding materials because of their promising electromagnetic properties, high flexibility, and high electrical conductivity. The non-functionalised MWCNTs does not demonstrate high shielding of electromagnetic waves but with acid functionalisation and further loading with optimized nanoparticles of Fe3O4, enhanced absorption (15.85 dB), enhanced reflection (9.43 dB), resulted in high total specific shielding effectiveness of around 49.56 dB (g cm(-3))(-1). All samples were light weight, flexible, thin and self-standing in the form of a buckypaper of thickness of 50 mu m and density of 0.51 g cm(-3). These buckypapers could be promising materials for electromagnetic shielding via both absorption and reflection. A fine amalgamated system of MWCNTs with half metallic Fe3O4, resulting in enhanced conductivity, in an extremely thin and flexible matrix, is considered to be the main contribution to these high shielding effectiveness values.