Morphology, electrical and magnetic study of α-Fe₂O₃ coated carbon fabric

Metal-coated synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composites have been recently used for many electrical and electronic applications. In this direction, due to low weight, noncorrosive, and excellent structural properties, the carbon fabric reinforced polymer composites are in high demand. In this work, we have developed Fe₂O₃ film on bi-axial oriented plain viewed carbon fabric by spray pyrolysis at various thicknesses using FeCl₂.H₂O solution. XRD study revealed that the film consisted of α-Fe₂O₃ and no other crystalline phase was observed. The Fe³⁺concentration was varied and the samples were characterized for electrical, magnetic properties and morphology study. The coating on the fabric surface was found to be uniform and covered the entire fiber surface when the spray volume was 40 ml. The Fe³⁺ content on the fabric increased with the increase in the solution concentration. It was noticed that α-Fe₂O₃ coated on the fabric surface increased the conductivity and magnetic property making this suitable for Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications.