Silver-Coated Waste Rubber Micro-Particles with Low Density, High Stability, and Excellent Electromagnetic Shielding Ability: Design, Preparation, and Characterization

Introduction: The electromagnetic radiation caused by the increasing application of electronic devices is associated with environmental hazards and health risks. Methods: With the rapid development of science and technology, it is urgent to reduce electromagnetic interference by introducing effective electromagnetic shielding materials. Furthermore, novel electromagnetic shielding materials with increasing stability and decreasing density have become the focus of the current research. Herein, silver (Ag) coated rubber (AR) micro-particles (MPs) were prepared by coating Ag nanoparticles (NPs) onto waste AR MPs. Results: The AR MPs not only exhibited superior electromagnetic shielding performance with the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) value of 6.1 dB at 5.8 GHz, but also possessed excellent long-time stability (240 h) in high-temperature (85 °C) and high humidity (85% RH) environment. Due to the low density (0.66 g/cm3) of AR-3 MPs, its practical application in lightweight and highly integrated electronic devices is guaranteed. Conclusion: The developed AR MPs have exhibited broad application prospects in the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding field due to the good EMI shielding performance, high stability and low density.