A STUDY OF MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION, REFLECTION, ABSORPTION, AND SHIELDING EFFECTIVENESS OF CONDUCTING POLYPYRROLE FILMS

Microwave transmission, reflection, and absorption behavior and the shielding effectiveness of electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole films with dc conductivities ranging from 0.001 to 50 S/cm are presented. Results show that the electrical conductivity of the doped polypyrrole films has a significant effect on transmission, reflection, and absorption of microwaves. Heavily doped, conducting films were highly reflective, whereas lightly doped, semiconducting films had very high transmission. Intermediate conductivity polypyrrole samples were highly absorptive. The agreement between experimental data and theoretical modeling provided confidence to extend the modeling to include the effect of sample thickness on the transmission, reflection, and absorption properties of films with a wide range of conductivity values, hence, providing valuable information for the design of microwave devices and fundamental understanding of the material properties. A method of measuring the far-field shielding effectiveness of polypyrrole films is also presented. Results of shielding experiments indicated the potential for such applications. (C) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.