Electromagnetic Shielding Performance and Mechanical Properties of Vermiculite-Based Lightweight Geopolymer Mortars

Electromagnetic Shielding Performance and Mechanical Properties of Vermiculite-Based Lightweight Geopolymer Mortars | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Electromagnetic Shielding Performance and Mechanical Properties of Vermiculite-Based Lightweight Geopolymer Mortars Ali İhsan Çelik, Ufuk Tunç, Ali Durmuş, Ercan Karaköse, Fatih Özkan Alkurt, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8450966/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The widespread use of electronic devices causes electromagnetic interference, which increases electromagnetic pollution, reduces system performance, and may pose health risks. This study investigates the development of vermiculite-reinforced lightweight geopolymer composites for electromagnetic shielding purposes. The composites were produced using F-class fly ash, vermiculite ratios ranging from 0 to 100%, and 10–13 M NaOH solutions. The electromagnetic performance of the 160×140×40 mm tablet samples was evaluated by measuring S11, S21, and shielding effectiveness (SE) at 16 GHz and 32 GHz frequency bands. All mixtures showed good impedance matching with reflection values below − 10 dB. SE results show that V25–M12, V50–M12, and V100–M12 mixtures, especially in the Ka band, provided high electromagnetic attenuation by exhibiting resonance peaks above 50 dB. The increase in vermiculite content reduced the bulk density by 8–17% due to its porous structure. Higher molarities (especially 13 M) created a looser microstructure. The highest mechanical flexural strength (8.9 MPa) was obtained with 25% vermiculite and 11 M solution, while the highest compressive strength (30–32 MPa) was obtained with the vermiculite-free control sample. Taguchi analysis showed that the combination of 25% vermiculite and 11–13 M NaOH provided the most balanced mechanical and electromagnetic performance. Physical sciences/Engineering Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Physical sciences/Materials science Vermiculite Geopolymer Electromagnetic Shielding Effect Alkali Activators Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 09 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 08 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 29 Dec, 2025 Editor invited by journal 29 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 26 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 26 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8450966","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":571349064,"identity":"3cabfa62-a0aa-4a9a-980c-050a00a0f1b1","order_by":0,"name":"Ali İhsan 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This study investigates the development of vermiculite-reinforced lightweight geopolymer composites for electromagnetic shielding purposes. The composites were produced using F-class fly ash, vermiculite ratios ranging from 0 to 100%, and 10\u0026ndash;13 M NaOH solutions. The electromagnetic performance of the 160\u0026times;140\u0026times;40 mm tablet samples was evaluated by measuring S11, S21, and shielding effectiveness (SE) at 16 GHz and 32 GHz frequency bands. All mixtures showed good impedance matching with reflection values below \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;10 dB. SE results show that V25\u0026ndash;M12, V50\u0026ndash;M12, and V100\u0026ndash;M12 mixtures, especially in the Ka band, provided high electromagnetic attenuation by exhibiting resonance peaks above 50 dB. The increase in vermiculite content reduced the bulk density by 8\u0026ndash;17% due to its porous structure. Higher molarities (especially 13 M) created a looser microstructure. The highest mechanical flexural strength (8.9 MPa) was obtained with 25% vermiculite and 11 M solution, while the highest compressive strength (30\u0026ndash;32 MPa) was obtained with the vermiculite-free control sample. Taguchi analysis showed that the combination of 25% vermiculite and 11\u0026ndash;13 M NaOH provided the most balanced mechanical and electromagnetic performance.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Electromagnetic Shielding Performance and Mechanical Properties of Vermiculite-Based Lightweight Geopolymer Mortars","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-09 17:13:06","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8450966/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-01-08T08:58:43+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-08T06:58:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"39174835079466204500824357188606747251","date":"2026-01-07T21:52:57+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-07T14:15:07+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"230081484598640072288347355198757244364","date":"2026-01-07T14:08:22+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-01-07T13:51:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"176348825091220002800020371248827308540","date":"2026-01-07T13:07:39+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"11551428598710743434906333697564222965","date":"2026-01-07T13:05:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-07T11:28:11+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-12-29T10:26:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2025-12-29T10:09:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-12-26T13:02:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-12-26T12:51:44+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d57c64fc-fa1b-4648-a74b-e8af10d56e48","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 9th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":60799919,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":60799920,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"},{"id":60799921,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-02-16T16:03:12+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-8450966","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38722-1","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2026-02-09 15:58:38","publishedOnDateReadable":"February 9th, 2026"},"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-09 17:13:06","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-026-38722-1","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38722-1","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8450966","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8450966","identity":"rs-8450966","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}