Electromagnetic wave absorption properties of cement-based composites filled with porous materials

To solve more and more serious electromagnetic radiations, cement-based composites were prepared by introducing porous materials into cement. The reflection losses were studied using arched testing method in the frequency range of 1.7–18 GHz. The results showed that the absorption properties were improved obviously. The mechanisms of wave attenuation of the composites were discussed, which indicated that the scattering and multi-scattering in porous beads played an important role. The filling ratio of porous beads, the bead geometries as well as the conformation of cement all had noticeably influence on the absorption properties. The lowest reflection loss of −22 dB was obtained at 5.6 GHz when the specimen was filled with 50 vol.% expanded polystyrene, and the effective absorption bandwidth (less than −10 dB) reached 10.6 GHz when the specimen was filled with 50 vol.% expanded polystyrene and 2 vol.% carbon black.

Research highlights
► Cement composites with lower reflection peak and broader bandwidth are developed.
► The role of scattering and multiple scattering in wave attenuation is defined.
► The unusual shift of matching frequency versus the content of porous beads is noticed.
► The influence of bead geometry is discussed.