Electrospun ZrO2@carbon nanofiber mats and their epoxy composites as effective EMI shields in Ku band

Abstract

Present work describes in detail the preparation and characterization of zirconia (ZrO2) incorporated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) based carbon nanofiber reinforced epoxy composites as effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material. Zirconia incorporated PAN nanofiber mat was prepared by electrospinning process in N, N-dimethylformamide solvent medium. These nanofiber mats were thermally treated at 1000˚C to form zirconia incorporated carbon nanofiber mats (CNFs). These mats were impregnated with epoxy resin, and ZrO2/CNF epoxy laminas were prepared. It was revealed that the storage modulus of ZrO2@CNF/epoxy composites was superior to that of neat CNF/epoxy composites. The total electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness of carbonized mats and CNF/epoxy composites was analyzed, and excellent specific shielding was observed. Stacking these ZrO2@CNF mats proved to be an excellent tactic, and (8 layers) displayed an outstanding EMI shielding effectiveness of more than -90 dB in the Ku band, which is very significant for potential industrial, radar, and military applications.