Fabrication of highly conductive, flexible, and hydrophobic Kevlar®@Ni–P–B@Cu@CS fabric with excellent self-cleaning performance for electromagnetic interference shielding

Abstract

In this work, a simple and cost-effective method was proposed and developed to prepare a novel multilayer-structured Kevlar®@nickel-phosphorus-boron@copper@copper stearate (Kevlar®@Ni–P–B@Cu@CS) composite fabric with high conductivity, high flexibility, high hydrophobicity, and high durability to effectively shield electromagnetic interference (EMI). In this method, an amorphous Ni–P–B alloy nanolayer was initially deposited onto a Kevlar® fabric via electroless plating. Afterward, a crystalline Cu nanolayer was deposited as the second layer via electroplating. Finally, a monolayer of copper stearate was innovatively self-assembled as the outermost protective layer. The Cu deposition was effectively adjusted and designed by controlling the plating current and plating time. The electrical resistance and contact angle of the optimized Kevlar®@Ni–P–B@Cu@CS composite fabric were as low as 3.2 mΩ sq⁻¹ and as high as 115.39°, respectively, indicating that the fabric could withstand bending, tape-off, corrosion, and accelerated environmental tests. The average EMI-shielding efficiency of the durable composite fabric was 93.9 dB in the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz, which was mainly attributed to the absorption loss. Thus, the proposed material configuration has promise for applications in aviation, aerospace, telecommunication, wearable devices, and military industries.