Lightweight Electronic Enclosures Incorporating Nanotubes

Due to their low density and exceptionally high strength and modulus, graphite fiber composites are being used increasingly for the fabrication of aircraft and spacecraft. Additonally, because of these superior mechanical properties and low weight, composites have been replacing metals, such as aluminum, in many applications. The replacement of metals has often been slowed in applications such as electronic enclosures due to the high electrical conductivity required for Electromagnetic Interference shielding (EMI). NanoTechLabs (NTL) has developed in Phase I a method for laminating carbon nanotube buckypapers into compression molded composites to achieve a high degree of EMI shielding. In this Phase II project, a commercial, one-step manufacturing process will be developed to integrate this non-metallic shielding into molded and laminar composites.