Self-healing electromagnetic interference shielding composite based on Diels–Alder chemistry

Abstract

The self-healing property of polymer materials is important to enhance their safety and reliability during the service period. Furthermore, the study of functional composites can extend the range of application of these composites. In the present work, a bifunctional composite was prepared by incorporating an electroless nickel-plated carbon fiber (Ni/CF) conductive filler into a self-healing polymer matrix based on the Diels–Alder (DA) reaction system. The thermoreversible DA network was formed via crosslinking between furan-modified epoxy resin (FM-EP) and a bismaleimide at the temperature of 60 °C. The as-prepared reversible crosslinked epoxy resin network was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), optical microscopy, and an electric universal testing machine. The results indicated that the DA thermoreversible system was successfully established and that the modified epoxy resin matrix was recyclable. The healing efficiency of the thermoreversible resin matrix reached 92.5%. Additionally, the average electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the thermoreversible DA matrix in which Ni/CF was incorporated reached 40.5 dB. There was no change in the healing efficiency when the resin was loaded with conductive filler. The bifunctional smart material could be applied to fields such as the electronics industry.