Author(s)

Omar A. Al-Hartomy, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Nikolay Dishovsky, Rossitsa Shtarkova, Vladimir Iliev, Ibrahim Mutlay, Farid El-Tantawy

College of Telecommunications and Posts, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Department of Chemistry, Technical University, 8 Kl. Ohridski blvd., 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk 71491, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Polymer Engineering, University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, 8 Kl. Ohridski blvd., 1756 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Hayzen Engineering Co., 24. Cad. KA-CL Is Merkezi No: 165/60 Ivedik OSB, 06370 Ankara, Turkey.

The development of carbon nanotubes based materials has been impeded by both their difficult dispersion in the polymer matrix and their high cost. The discovery of graphene and the subsequent development of graphene-based polymer nanocomposites is an important addition in the area of nanoscience and technology. In this study the influence of graphene nanoparticles (GNP) in concentrations from 2.0 to 10.0 phr on the dielectric (dielectric permittivity, dielectric loss angle tangent) and microwave (reflection coefficient, attenuation coefficient, shielding effectiveness) properties of nanocomposites on the basis of natural rubber has been investigated in the wide frequency range (1 - 12 GHz). The results achieved allow recommending graphene as a filler for natural rubber based composites to afford specific dielectric and microwave properties, especially when their loading with the much more expensive carbon nanotubes is not possible.

Nanocomposites; Natural Rubber; Graphene; Dielectric and Microwave Properties

O. Al-Hartomy, A. Al-Ghamdi, N. Dishovsky, R. Shtarkova, V. Iliev, I. Mutlay and F. El-Tantawy, "Dielectric and Microwave Properties of Natural Rubber Based Nanocomposites Containing Graphene," Materials Sciences and Applications, Vol. 3 No. 7, 2012, pp. 453-459. doi: 10.4236/msa.2012.37064.