Microwave absorber based on silver nanoparticle-embedded polymer thin film.

Silver nanoparticle-embedded poly(vinyl alcohol) films are fabricated through a simple in situ process. The nanocomposite films are a few hundred nanometers thick with silver concentrations below 10% and the nanoparticles 5-10 nm in diameter. These films are shown to exhibit appreciable microwave absorption in the 8-12 GHz range; the return and insertion losses are found to be sensitive to the nanoparticle content.