Superior quality chemically reduced graphene oxide for high performance EMI shielding materials

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Graphene oxide (GO) reduction is crucial for producing reduced graphene oxide (RGO).
• Existing RGO production methods face challenges in cost-effectiveness, scalability, and quality.
• RGO is a promising material for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a cost-effective, scalable, and high-yield method for RGO production.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a specific thermal treatment combined with chemical reduction for RGO synthesis.
• To assess the EMI shielding performance of the produced RGO.

Main Methods:

• Investigated graphite and RGO using l-ascorbic acid and sodium borohydride.
• Applied mild thermal treatment under vacuum at 200 °C for 4 hours.
• Evaluated chemical and morphological structures and measured electrical conductivity and EMI shielding efficiency (SET) using the waveguide line technique.

Main Results:

• The thermally treated l-ascorbic acid reduction route (TCRGOL) yielded RGO with a conductivity of 2.14 × 10³ S m⁻¹.
• Achieved a total shielding efficiency (SET) of 94 dB with significantly reduced material usage.
• Demonstrated superior EMI shielding performance in the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz) compared to other graphene reduction methods.

Conclusions:

• The developed thermal treatment combined with chemical reduction provides a superior quality RGO.
• This method is cost-effective, scalable, and high-yield for industrial RGO production.
• The resulting RGO is a strong candidate for high-performance EMI shielding applications.