Effect of nitrogen doping on the electromagnetic properties of carbon nanotube-based composites

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped and pure carbon nanotube (CNT) based composites were fabricated for investigating their dielectric properties in static regime as well as electromagnetic response properties in microwave frequency range (K a-band). Two classes of host matrix-polystyrene and phosphate unfired ceramics-have been used for composites fabrication. The study reveals miscellaneous effect of nitrogen doping on the dielectric permittivity, dc conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency of CNT-based composites, produced with both polymer and ceramic matrices. The high-frequency polarizability, estimated for different-length CNTs, and static polarizability, calculated for nitrogen-containing CNT models using a quantum-chemical approach, show that this effect results from a decrease of the nanotube defect-free-length and deterioration of the polarizability with incorporation of nitrogen in pyridinic form. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.