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

ABSTRACT 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.