Flexible THV-based nanocomposites filled with GNPs/MWCNTs for advanced applications in EMI shielding and thermal management.

Abstract Contemporary applications require protection against overheating and electromagnetic radiation interference, preferably with reduced mass and enhanced basic performance, such as flammability or chemical or UV resistance. Materials exhibiting all these functions can be designed, but there is often not just one but several different materials with advanced processing requirements; therefore, a simple manufacturing method providing percolation path formation involving powder mixing and hot pressing of terpolymer comprising tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene and vinylidene fluoride monomeric units (THV)-based nanocomposites is presented here. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used as fillers to improve the basic matrix properties. The addition of the carbon fillers yielded electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness SETOT = 23 dB for the GNP filler, SETOT = 17 dB for the MWCNT/GNP filler, and SETOT = 7.4 dB for the one wt% MWCNT filler (for a 1 mm sample thickness at 5 GHz). The best series (GNP-based) was also subjected to further investigations: the thermal conductivity reached κ = 1.65 W/mK, providing an over 800% enhancement, and simultaneously, the electrical conductivity reached σ = 1.49 S/cm. Moreover, comprehensive studies of structural and thermal properties were carried out for all series, including filler dispersion analysis.