Lightweight, Flexible, Resilient PMIA-Based Fabric with Superior Electromagnetic Shielding Performance

Abstract

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is becoming commonplace with the development of modern electronics. In this work, a series of conductive polymer composite fabrics that have high EMI shielding effectiveness (SE), high mechanical strength, and resilience to adverse conditions were prepared. Crosslinked hyperbranched polyamidoamine (referred to as xHP-Q_y) was used to create a conductive Ag layer tightly bound to the underlying matrix of poly(meta-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA). The morphology and physicochemical properties of the starting materials, intermediates, and the final PMIA/xHP-Q_y/Ag fabrics were characterized extensively. The PMIA matrix and the Ag layer were connected by the xHP-Q_y that had a distinct antenna-shaped structure. The lowest resistivity and highest EMI SE of the fabrics were 2.37 × 10⁻³ Ω·cm and 107.66 dB, respectively. It was further verified by finite element simulation that the PMIA/xHP-Q_y/Ag had an exceptional EMI shielding performance. The fabrics maintained their superior performance despite harsh environments (high/low temperature, high humidity, strong acid/alkali, solvents, salt spray corrosion) or mechanical deformations (bending-stretching, winding-releasing, abrading). The developed strategy thus created access to resilient functional materials suitable for use in highly demanding scenarios.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Poly(meta-phenylene isophthalamide) fabric / Hyperbranched polyamidoamine / Electroless silver deposition / Electrical conductivity / Electromagnetic interference shielding / Finite element simulation / Engineering / Materials Engineering

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Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China(52073135)

Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(ZR2020ME066)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Donghua University, Shanghai, China