Enhanced electromagnetic-interference shielding effectiveness and mechanical strength of Co-Ni coated aramid-carbon blended fabric

Abstract

An efficient method was proposed to prepare high-performance conductive Aramid-Carbon Blend Fabrics (ACBF) with cobalt–nickel (Co-Ni) alloy coatings, which is conducive to industrial production. The grid-like substrate composed of aramid and carbon fibers was innovatively used in flexible Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding materials. The natural network structure is advantageous to the uniform deposition of metal particles to the establishment of conductive pathways subsequently in order to improve conductivity. The induction of a synergistic effect from Electromagnetic (EM) wave-reflection and EM wave-absorption through the whole carbon-Co-Ni-ternary system notably enhanced the EMI Shielding Effectiveness (SE) value to an average of 42.57 dB in the range of 30–6000 MHz. On the other hand, together with the inherent toughness of the alloy coatings, the tensile strength of the aramid fibers used for bulletproof made a significant contribution to the desired mechanical properties. The light weight of the resultant composite made it applicable to aerospace vehicles simultaneously. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was conducted to investigate the variations of elements and groups on the sample surface in pre-treating process. The elemental components and surface morphologies of fabric samples during different stages of the process were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive spectrometer (EDX) measurements. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) results indicated that the obtained Co-Ni alloy coating had a combined Hexagonal Closed-Packed (HCP) and Faced-Centered Cubic (FCC) crystalline phase. The relatively high corrosion resistance demonstrated in different acid and alkaline conditions was instrumental in more complex environments as well.