Abstract
Linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) was used as polymer matrix, carbonyl iron powder (CIP) and carbon black (CB) were used as fillers, and ternary composites with microwave absorbing properties were prepared by melt blending. Transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the prepared samples. The absorbing ability (reflection loss) of the prepared composites was measured using the arch method, and the electromagnetic parameters of composites were determined by the transmission/reflection method. The filler contents of CIP and CB have effects on the absorbing peak positions and reflection loss, and there is the optimum filler content in composites to obtain the maximum microwave absorbing. The microwave absorption of LLDPE/CIP/CB composites comes from the combining contributions of the dielectric loss and the magnetic loss. The synergistic effects of CIP and CB effectively improve the microwave absorbing properties of polymer composites. CIP and CB are uniformly distributed in the polymer matrix. The theoretical calculation results of the absorbing ability are in agreement with the experimental results using the transmission line theory. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009