Decoration of reduced graphene oxide with polyaniline film and their enhanced microwave absorption properties

The composites of reduced graphene oxide-polyaniline film (RGO-PANI) were synthesized by an in situ polymerization method and the microwave absorption properties of the composites were investigated. FESEM results indicate that RGO is covered with polyaniline film, and some PANI nanoparticles with the diameter in the range of 10–30 nm embed in the film. As PANI film covered on RGO, the microwave adsorption properties of RGO are significantly enhanced. The maximum reflection loss of RGO-PANI is up to −41.4 dB at 13.8 GHz and the bandwidths exceeding −10 and −20 dB are 4.2 GHz (from 11.7 to 15.9 GHz) and 1.5 GHz (from 12.8 to 14.3 GHz) with a coating layer thickness of 2 mm. The excellent microwave absorption properties of the composites may be attributed to the unique structural characteristics and the charge transfer between RGO and PANI film. Thus, the composites can be used as an attractive candidate for the new type of microwave absorption materials.