Design of liquid composite materials for shielding electromagnetic fields

This paper reports the principles of design and the examined protective properties of liquid materials for shielding the electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields over a wide frequency range. The materials were made on the basis of iron ore concentrate and a pigment additive, with water-dispersed and geopolymer paints used as a matrix. The tests of protective properties for the electrical and magnetic components of the electromagnetic field of industrial frequency showed that the electric field shielding coefficients at a concentration of the screening substance of 15−60 % (by weight) equaled 1.1−8.6; magnetic field – 1.2−5.3. The shielding coefficients of the material based on a water-dispersed paint are lower than those of a geopolymer one, which can be explained by the oxidation of an iron-containing component and a decrease in electrical conductivity. The shielding coefficients of the electromagnetic field with a frequency of 2.45 GHz are 1.2−7.9. The highest coefficients are inherent in the material with filler made of iron ore concentrate and titanium-containing pigment powder in a ratio of 1:1. To design materials with the required (predictable) protective properties, the relative magnetic, dielectric permeability of materials was calculated. It is shown that the obtained data are acceptably the same as the results from direct measurements of magnetic and dielectric permeability and could be used to calculate the wave resistance of the material and the predicted reflection coefficient of electromagnetic waves. Thus, there is reason to assert the need to build a database on the frequency dependence of effective magnetic and dielectric permeability in order to automate the design processes of composite materials with predefined protective properties.