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. 2017 Dec 2;9(12):662.
doi: 10.3390/polym9120662.

Highly Conductive 3D Segregated Graphene Architecture in Polypropylene Composite with Efficient EMI Shielding

Fakhr E Alam  1   2 , Jinhong Yu  3 , Dianyu Shen  4 , Wen Dai  5   6 , He Li  7   8 , Xiaoliang Zeng  9 , Yagang Yao  10 , Shiyu Du  11 , Nan Jiang  12 , Cheng-Te Lin  13   14
Affiliations

Highly Conductive 3D Segregated Graphene Architecture in Polypropylene Composite with Efficient EMI Shielding

Fakhr E Alam et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The extensive use of electronic equipment in modern life causes potential electromagnetic pollution harmful to human health. Therefore, it is of great significance to enhance the electrical conductivity of polymers, which are widely used in electronic components, to screen out electromagnetic waves. The fabrication of graphene/polymer composites has attracted much attention in recent years due to the excellent electrical properties of graphene. However, the uniform distribution of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in a non-polar polymer matrix like polypropylene (PP) still remains a challenge, resulting in the limited improvement of electrical conductivity of PP-based composites achieved to date. Here, we propose a single-step approach to prepare GNPs/PP composites embedded with a segregated architecture of GNPs by coating PP particles with GNPs, followed by hot-pressing. As a result, the electrical conductivity of 10 wt % GNPs-loaded composites reaches 10.86 S·cm-1, which is ≈7 times higher than that of the composites made by the melt-blending process. Accordingly, a high electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of 19.3 dB can be achieved. Our method is green, low-cost, and scalable to develop 3D GNPs architecture in a polymer matrix, providing a versatile composite material suitable for use in electronics, aerospace, and automotive industries.

Keywords: conductive polymer composites; electrical properties; thermal properties; thermoplastics resin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The characterization of GNPs: (a) SEM; (b) TEM image of individual GNPs; (c) OM and (d) AFM.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SEM images of (a) neat PP (b) GNPs-coated PP (c) the section view of before polishing hot pressed composite (d) scheme of composite (e) after polishing the surface (f) the magnification of (e).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) Electrical conductivity of the GNPs/PP composite and their comparison with previous work at different loading amounts (b) EMI SE of GNPs/PP composite as function of frequency (X-band) (c) the comparison of SETotal SEA and SER at different loading amount of GNPs (d) schematic representation of microwave transfer across the composite.
Figure 4
Figure 4
TGA curve of neat PP and 10 wt % GNPs (a) dynamic run in N2 with differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) (b) dynamic run in air with DTG (c) isothermal run at 350 °C in N2 (d) isothermal run at 250 °C in air.
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) Storage modulus (b) loss factors (c) DSC curves and (d) radar chart presentation of three parameters of the PP and GNPs/PP composites.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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