Taguchi Optimization Methodology Directed Synthesis of CNMs from Plant Fibres Decorated with Metal Nano Particles for Study of Microwave Absorption in S and C Bands

Abstract

Carbon nano materials (CNM) in the form of Graphene oxide and Reduced Graphene oxide decorated with metal nano particles were prepared from cotton as precursor – a green sustainable method. Various parameters were used for synthesis of carbon materials. Taguchi Optimization methodology – a statistical method, was used to arrive at the optimized parameters for synthesis to reduce the number of experimentations thus accentuating the green technology. Microwave is used in various techniques like communication, cell phones & satellite, military weapons viz. stealth technology, RADAR etc. The synthesized CNMs were assessed for their Microwave Absorption (MA) properties for their possible use as RADAR absorbing materials. 96 to 99% MA was observed in 2-8 GHz frequency range with reflection loss up to -25dB. These studies were carried out in the materials having thickness of 2-5 mm. Deviation in MA as well as in reflection losses were also observed when the decorating metal was changed due to the difference in the size of the metal atoms and corresponding shielding effects.