Anticorrosive Polypyrrole/Barium Ferrite (PPy/BaFe12O19) Composites with Tunable Electrical Response for Electromagnetic Wave Absorption and Shielding Performance

This paper highlights the suitability of PPy/BaFe12O19 composites with tunable electrical properties as well as anticorrosive properties for broadband electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications. A PPy/BaFe12O19 composite was structurally and morphologically investigated using x-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Both electrical conducting and dielectric attributes have shown property modifications with varying concentrations of the dispersant, barium ferrite. The corrosion inhibition response of PPy/BaFe12O19 composites on an aluminum metal surface in 0.1 M NaOH solution was analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy, potentiodynamic polarization, and AC impedance spectroscopy. The morphological features reconfirming the corrosion inhibition nature of the composites were recorded using SEM. Furthermore, a mixed corrosion inhibition property was confirmed by potentiodynamic polarization plots. EMI shielding and microwave attenuation characteristics of the composites were investigated in the practically relevant microwave broadband frequency spectrum of 8–12 GHz (X-band). The efficiency of these anticorrosive composites towards the suppression of ever-increasing EMI has been confirmed by the observed shielding efficiency in the range of − 23 dB to − 27 dB (> 99% attenuation).