Electromagnetic interference shielding and mechanical properties of multi-layered polyvinyl chloride/multiwall carbon nanotubes nanocomposite

Abstract

Electromagnetic shielding is one of the promising research areas that attract the interest of many researchers, especially researchers interested in polymer nanocomposite. In this work, the shielding efficiency and dynamic mechanical analysis for multi-layered samples are reviewed and analyzed. The multi-layered samples were prepared using two sheets of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer loaded with multiwall carbon nanotubes over the electrical percolation threshold, and a MWCNTs buckypaper (MWCNTs BP) sheet between them. The three sheets were collected together by hot-press technique to form a multi-layered nanocomposite sample. The shielding efficiency of single and double layers of PVC/MWCNTs sheets loaded by 5 wt.% MWCNTs, was very weak. The new structured (3 layered/multilayered) nanocomposite samples were prepared with different weight percent of MWCNTs BP sheet (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 wt.%). The SE values over all the frequency range (450 MHz to about 2.0 GHz) are strongly depends on the weight percent of the MWCNTs BP. Shielding efficiency increased as the MWCNTs BP weight percent increased. Decreases the elastic modulus, storage modulus and the coefficient of complex viscosity were found for a new set of samples contains 0.14, 0.27, 0.28 and 0.44 wt.% MWCNTs BP layers. This is due to the diffused MWCNTs from the mesh to polymer layers making the composite more brittle. The glass transition temperature determined from tanδ(f) increased as MWCNTs BP content increases.