Radio-absorbing materials based on polyvinyl alcohol cryogels
A class of materials for electromagnetic screens based on synthetic polymers containing structurally bound water as a radio-absorbing component was developed. It was found experimentally that the polyvinyl alcohol cryogels formed from the water solutions under cold treatment absorb the energy of electromagnetic radiation with equal intensity both at positive and negative temperatures. The formation of ice microcrystals in the cryogels structure under cold treatment causes the all-round compression of the polymer phase and stimulates the water diffusion and the physical-chemical bonding of its molecules in the supramolecular constitutions. Cryogels can be applied as coatings on textile fabrics, from which radio-adsorbing clothes are made, and can serve as sheets or impregnated textile bases for the manufacture of electromagnetic screens.