Chapter 5 - Thermoplastic polymer composites for EMI shielding applications

Abstract

This chapter reviews the state-of-the-art research in electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials derived using nanocomposites fabricated from thermoplastic polymeric materials. Shielding materials, which offer resistance to EMI that is generated as an offshoot of modern electronic gadgets, are very much essential for the potential existence of mankind. Thermoplastic materials, though transparent to EM radiation, offer a great deal of advantage ranging from design flexibility, tailor-made properties, and promises ease of processing, and when composited with the right kind of nanomaterials, it offers excellent shielding materials. As the electronic world is drifting towards miniaturization and smarter and integrated systems, lightweight, flexible, and easy-to-embed shielding materials have become a prerequisite to shield a particular circuit. Given the surge in innovations, a plethora of research work has already been published incorporating different types of nanomaterials in the thermoplastic matrix for preferred shielding effectiveness. This chapter comprehensively highlights the fundamental necessities in the design of effective shielding material in the backdrop of a brief introduction and the mechanism of shielding. The accompanying segments portray the structural correlation with the incorporation of different nanomaterials and their effect on percolation threshold, conductivity, magnetism, and mechanical properties, which are strategic towards effective shielding efficiency.