Development of non-oxidized graphene flakes (NOGF)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composites for high-performance EMI shielding efficiency

Abstract

As numerous communication devices use multiband electromagnetic waves in modern society, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials become increasingly important due to the harmful effects of electromagnetic waves. While metal-based materials have shown high shielding performance, they have many drawbacks such as high density, high processing cost, and low corrosion resistance. Conductive polymer composites (CPCs), which can overcome these shortcomings of metal-based materials, have become increasingly popular in recent years. In this study, non-oxidized graphene flakes (NOGFs) are synthesized by exfoliating the ternary graphite intercalant compound (t-GIC) and used as fillers for CPCs. The electrical conductivity and EMI shielding effiency (SE) of NOGF/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), graphite/PVDF and reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/PVDF composites are investigated. NOGF/PVDF composites showed notably enhanced electrical conductivity and EMI SE than the others. This is mostly due to the non-oxidative fabrication method that does not destroy the sp2 structure of graphene sheet, thus preserving the unique electrical properties of graphene.