Experimental Investigation of Absorption Shielding Efficiency of Rubber Composites

Manganese–zinc ferrite, nickel-zinc ferrite and the combination of both fillers were used for fabrication of composites. Then, carbon black was applied in combination with ferrites in the second type of composites. The main goal was to investigate the influence of fillers on absorption shielding efficiency and physical–mechanical properties of composites. It was revealed that incorporation of ferrites into rubber matrix leads to fabrication of composites that are able to absorb electromagnetic radiation. The higher was the amount of nickel-zinc ferrite in fillers combinations, the higher was the absorption shielding performance of composites. The results showed that nickel-zinc ferrite demonstrated better absorption shielding potential. The absorption shielding efficiency of composites filled with carbon black and ferrites was lower when compared to equivalent composites filled only with ferrites, which can be attributed to higher electrical conductivity of composites due to the presence of carbon black. On the other side, the incorporation of carbon black caused the improvement in physical–mechanical properties of composites, mainly the enhancement of the tensile strength, modulus and hardness.