Enhanced microwave absorbing performance of hydrogenated acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites by in situ prepared rare earth acrylates

Rare earth oxides (REO = Gd2O3, Dy2O3, Tm2O3) and acrylic acid (AA) were in situ reacted in hydrogenated acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (HNBR) to prepare HNBR/multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/REO/AA composites. The HNBR/MWCNT/REO/AA composites have higher permittivity and dielectric loss than HNBR/MWCNT composite, leading to significantly enhanced microwave absorbing performance of the HNBR/MWCNT/REO/AA composites. Dielectric permittivity analysis reveals that the HNBR/MWCNT/REO/AA composites have longer dielectric relaxation time and higher conductivity than the HNBR/MWCNT composite. The HNBR/MWCNT composite has the minimum reflection loss of −15.1 dB, while the HNBR/MWCNT/REO/AA composites have the minimum reflection loss of −48.8 dB. The improvement of microwave absorbing performance is attributed to the stronger interfacial polarization and higher conductivity after formation of in situ prepared rare earth acrylates.