Electromagnetic interference shielding performance of carbon nanostructure reinforced, 3D printed polymer composites

Pawan Verma,S Kumar,Suleyman Deveci,Taruna Bansala,Sampat Singh Chauhan,Devendra Kumar

doi:10.1007/s10853-021-05985-0

Abstract

We report the electrical, mechanical and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of polypropylene random copolymer (PPR)/multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites enabled via customized fused filament fabrication process. The electro-conductive PPR/MWCNT filament feedstocks were fabricated via shear-induced melt-blending process that allows 3D printing of nanoengineered composites even at higher MWCNT loading (up to 8 wt%). The uniform dispersion of MWCNTs in PPR matrix confirmed via Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy facilitates better mechanical, electrical and EMI shielding performance. The results furthermore show enhanced shielding properties and higher attenuation for the nanocomposites printed in 90° direction (~ − 37 dB for 8 wt% MWCNT loading). Effective interfacial adhesion between the beads with lesser extent of voids (confirmed via micro-computed tomography) endorsed low transmission loss in nanocomposites printed in 90° direction compared to samples printed in 0° direction. Surface architected structure (frustum shape) reveals higher specific shielding effectiveness (maximum ~ − 40 dBg−1cm3, + 38%) over the plain structure. The realization of excellent shielding effectiveness (~ 99.9% attenuation) of additive manufacturing-enabled PPR/MWCNT nanocomposites demonstrates their potential for lightweight and strong EMI shields.Graphical

Highlights

The research advances in electronics and communication industries have led to increasing usage of electronic gadgets, causing electronic pollution mainly in the form of radiated electromagnetic (EM) energy, known as electromagnetic interference (EMI) [1]
It was observed that the multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) are uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix even at high loading (Fig. S2a, b), implying that the molten phase mixing within the extruder induced by shear is an efficient technique to produce truly nanoengineered composites
In-house nanoengineered polypropylene random copolymer (PPR)/MWCNT filament feedstocks up to 8 wt% MWCNT loading were successfully realized through high shear-induced meltblending technique and nanocomposite samples were fabricated via customized fused filament fabrication (FFF) Additive manufacturing (AM) in two printing directions (i.e., 0° and 90°)

Summary

Introduction

The research advances in electronics and communication industries have led to increasing usage of electronic gadgets, causing electronic pollution mainly in the form of radiated electromagnetic (EM) energy, known as electromagnetic interference (EMI) [1]. A sharp increase in conductivity (from 10–13 to 10–7 S/cm) of nanocomposites is observed over the frequency range considered at 2 wt% MWCNT loading for samples printed in both directions (i.e., 0° and 90°).

Results

Conclusion