Improving Electromagnetic Interference Shielding While Retaining Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber-Based Composites by Introducing Carbon Nanofiber Sheet into Laminate Structure

Abstract

The demands for carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs) are growing in the aviation industry for fuel consumption savings, despite the increasing risk of electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) sheets were prepared by electrospinning. Carbon nanofiber (CNF) sheets were obtained by the carbonization of PAN sheets. The laminate structures of the CF reinforced bismaleimide (BMI)-based composites were specially designed by introducing two thin CNF sheets in the upper and bottom plies, according to EMI shielding theory. The results showed that the introduction of CNF sheets led to a substantial increase in the EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) by 35.0% compared with CFRCs free of CNF sheets. The dominant EMI shielding mechanism was reflection. Noticeably, the introduction of CNF sheets did not impact the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CFRCs, indicating that the strategy provided in this work was feasible for fabricating CFRCs with a high EMI shielding performance without sacrificing their mechanical properties. Therefore, the satisfactory EMI shielding and ILSS properties, coupled with a high service temperature, made BMI-based composites a promising candidate in some specific fields, such as high-speed aircrafts and missiles.

Electrospun Composite Nanofiber Membranes for Electromagnetic Protection

“…Chen et al 27 added different concentrations of CNTs into PAN spinning solution and measured the SE of CNT/PAN NFMs after carbonization. Additionally, Ma et al 28 introduced carbonized PAN nanofibers into the aerospace materials, and the results showed that the existence of carbon nanofibers enhanced the EMI shielding property of the materials by 35%.…”

Recent advances in mechanism, influencing parameters, and dopants of electrospun EMI shielding composites: A review

“…Xu et al 115 prepared high‐performance copolymerized PAN (coPAN) nanofibers using copolymerization and electrospinning techniques, increasing tensile strength from 304 to 595 MPa. Subsequently, Ma et al 116 obtained CNF by high‐temperature carbonization of PAN and introduced it into the upper and lower layers of carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRCs). Incorporating CNF does not affect the composite material's interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and significantly improves its shielding performance by 35%.…”

The Electrical Conductivity, EMI Absorption Shielding Performance, Curing Process, and Mechanical Properties of Rubber Composites

“…imparts EMI shielding performance to them. Different types of fillers based on carbon (carbon black, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, graphite, or graphene), as well as inorganic fillers (metals, metal oxides, MXenes, ferrites), have been tested for this purpose [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Although the rubber matrix is the carrier of the main characteristics, the type and the content of the filler can have significant influences on process-ability, physical–mechanical or dynamic properties, and EMI shielding performance.…”