Fabrication of novel polyaniline/flowerlike copper monosulfide composites with enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness

Novel polyaniline (PANI)/flowerlike CuS composites with improved electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) were prepared through the in situ polymerization of PANI into the flowerlike CuS microspheres. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible optical absorption spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, electrical conductivity testing, and EMI SE testing were used to characterize the as-obtained products. The results reveal that the flowerlike CuS was uniformly coated by a PANI shell. Most importantly, compared with the original CuS and pure PANI, the novel PANI/flowerlike CuS composites exhibited a remarkably enhanced SE. With a thickness of 3 mm, the optimal EMI SE of the PANI–CuS composites reached −45.2 dB at 2.78 GHz, and an improved shielding efficiency below −18 dB was also obtained over the frequency range from 300 kHz to 3 GHz. This suggested that these novel PANI/flowerlike CuS composites have promising applications in the field of shielding materials. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 45232.