Comparative Study of Graphene Nanoplatelets and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes-Polypropylene Composite Materials for Electromagnetic Shielding

Ioan Valentin Tudose; Kyriakos Mouratis; Octavian Narcis Ionescu; Cosmin Romanitan; Cristina Pachiu; Oana Tutunaru-Brincoveanu; Mirela Petruta Suchea; Emmanouel Koudoumas

doi:10.3390/nano12142411

Comparative Study of Graphene Nanoplatelets and Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes-Polypropylene Composite Materials for Electromagnetic Shielding

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2022 Jul 14;12(14):2411. doi: 10.3390/nano12142411.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Center of Materials Technology and Photonics, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
² Chemistry Department, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece.
³ National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies (IMT-Bucharest), 023573 Bucharest, Romania.
⁴ Petroleum and Gas University of Ploiesti, 100680 Ploiesti, Romania.
⁵ Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Crete, Greece.

Abstract

Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-polypropylene (PP) composite materials for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications were fabricated as 1 mm thick panels and their properties were studied. Structural and morphologic characterization indicated that the obtained composite materials are not simple physical mixtures of these components but new materials with particular properties, the filler concentration and nature affecting the nanomaterials' structure and their conductivity. In the case of GNPs, their characteristics have a dramatic effect of their functionality, since they can lead to composites with lower conductivity and less effective EMI shielding. Regarding CNTs-PP composite panels, these were found to exhibit excellent EMI attenuation of more than 40 dB, for 10% CNTs concentration. The development of PP-based composite materials with added value and particular functionality (i.e., electrical conductivity and EMI shielding) is highly significant since PP is one of the most used polymers, the best for injection molding, and virtually infinitely recyclable.

Keywords: EMI shielding applications; carbon-based materials; graphene nanoplatelets; multiwall carbon nanotubes; nanocomposites; polypropylene.

Grants and funding

T1EDK-02784/co-financed by the European Union and Greek national funds through the Operational Program Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call RESEARCH - CREATE- IN-NOVATE, project T1EDK-02784, with acronym POLYSHIELD.