Electromagnetic wave absorbing properties of carbon black-filled natural rubber latex

This article investigated the electromagnetic wave absorbing properties of natural rubber latex (NRL) foam filled with carbon black. The influence of different grades (N330, N660 and conductive grade) of carbon black and content on the foam morphology and electromagnetic wave absorption were of interest. The experimental results revealed that the addition of carbon black can improve the ability of electromagnetic wave absorption NRL over a wide frequency range. The NRL foam filled with the conductive carbon black exhibited more electromagnetic wave susceptibility in comparison to the those filled with classical carbon black. The addition of carbon black results in a decrease in cell size and increase in the number of foam cells. The proposed NRL foams are expected to be used as electromagnetic absorber in lightweight and flexible electromagnetic shielding materials. Copyright (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2021 Research, Invention, and Innovation Congress: Materials Science.