Development of Graphene Aerogel–Flyash Composite Sheets for Enhanced Radar Absorption in Drone Stealth Applications

ABSTRACT This work aims to develop a new composite material with low absorption loss, high strength, and low weight for various stealth and radar‐absorbing operations. The material chosen here is graphene aerogel and fly ash. The graphene aerogel reinforced with flyash at different levels, such as 5%, 10%, and 15%, to improve radar wave absorption in the X‐band frequency range (8–12 GHz). Here, analysis was conducted for different thicknesses, including 1, 2, and 3 mm, and absorption loss was measured for oblique incidence of electromagnetic waves. The improvement in the dielectric constant enhances the attenuation for the propagated electromagnetic wave when flyash is reinforced with graphene aerogel. As the thickness of the composite increases, the amount of EM energy absorption increases for the given X‐band. There should be a trade off between absorption loss and mechanical strength; it can be balanced in a composite with 10%–15% flyash reinforcement. Finally, the combination of graphene aerogel and flyash composite offers good absorption of EM waves, is lightweight, and is cost‐effective for stakeholder operations involving drones and other radar‐absorbing systems.