Lightweight Conformal Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) Shielding

This SBIR Phase I project will investigate metallized vapor-grown carbon nanofiber for conformal electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding application. The metallized carbon nanofiber has the beneficial large aspect ratio of vapor-grown carbon nanofiber and high electrical conductivity of the metal. It can be integrated with a wide range of polymers to introduce significant electrical conductivity and shielding effectiveness. The proposed Phase I effort includes optimization of the metallized carbon nanofiber to achieve maximum electrical conductivity reinforcement efficiency and incorporation of the nanofiber into selected polymer resins to produce prototype conformal EMI shielding materials. Application methods such as dip coating, spray, casting, and extrusion will be developed for the conformal EMI shielding materials. Electrical conductivity and shielding effectiveness of the various prototype materials will be characterized to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed technology.