Characteristics of an electromagnetic wave absorbing composite structure with a conducting polymer electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) in the X-band

The object of this study is to design radar absorbing structures (RASs) with a conducting polymer (CP) electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) for application in the X-band. Glass/epoxy plain-weave composites with specific stiffness and strength containing an EBG pattern layer were fabricated. An intrinsic conducting polymer paste with poly(ethylenedioxy)thiophene (PEDOT) was fabricated and applied for the EBG pattern printing. The unit cell of the EBG pattern layer was square, and the variables such as thickness, conductivity, size, and arrangement, were determined. The microwave absorbing characteristics of the RASs were verified in the X-band under −10 dB reflection loss (90% absorption), and the influence of the EBG pattern layer in the composite structures was investigated using the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) test.