Reza Rahmadian, Willy Artha Wirawan, Arya Mahendra Sakti, Eka Dwi Ariyanto, Nurul Ainu Sofi, Dewi Puspitasari, Sudirman Rizki Ariyanto
This study investigates the influence of coconut shell-derived activated carbon (CCA) on the mechanical, electrical, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of agel leaf fiber/epoxy (AF/EP) composites fabricated by vacuum-assisted resin infusion. The sample codes AF/EP-CP0, AF/EP-CP10, and AF/EP-CP30 denote composites containing 0, 10, and 30 wt.% CCA in the epoxy matrix, respectively. The composites were evaluated by tensile and flexural testing, scanning electron microscopy, ImageJ particle analysis, FTIR, XRD, electrical conductivity and resistance measurements, cyclic bending, Joule heating, and EMI shielding analysis in the X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz). Increasing CCA content improved tensile strength from 44.15 to 128.51 MPa and Young’s modulus from 802.63 to 2128.54 MPa, while reducing elongation at break. The highest flexural strength was obtained for AF/EP-CP10 (238.51 MPa), indicating that intermediate filler loading provided the most favorable structural homogeneity and interfacial bonding. The measured electrical conductivity increased with CCA loading and reached 118 S/m in AF/EP-CP30, accompanied by lower apparent resistance and stable resistance response under repeated flexural loading. Microstructural analysis showed that AF/EP-CP10 had the most homogeneous filler dispersion, whereas AF/EP-CP30 formed the densest conductive network. FTIR and XRD results confirmed that CCA mainly altered interfacial interactions and structural ordering without changing the principal chemical framework. AF/EP-CP30 exhibited the highest total shielding effectiveness, approximately 28–29 dB, with a pronounced absorption contribution, demonstrating the potential of CCA-filled AF/EP composites for lightweight multifunctional electromagnetic shielding applications. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Vocational Studies, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, 60231, Indonesia
