Plasma Printing of Graphene Composites for EMI Shielding Applications

The proposed project will develop a high throughput and facile plasma process for printing graphene-based composites for electromagnetic interference shielding application. The plasma jet printing technique offers a unique capability to deposit conductors and dielectrics with tailored physical, optical, chemical and morphological characteristics. A wide variety of shielding materials are being explored for radiofrequency device applications including metals (copper, silver, nickel etc.) and carbon based materials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene. Electromagnetic interference shielding using metal films suffers from poor chemical resistance, heavy weight, oxidation in humid environment and non-flexibility. Large loading of nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes and graphene in polymer matrix to obtain desired shielding is expensive and lacks scalability. Thus, there is a need for novel manufacturing technology for electromagnetic interference shielding applications, and direct write printing of highly conductive graphene-based composite film on a range of flat and 3D substrates is proposed here as an ideal solution to obtain efficient shielding performance for all electronic devices. A plasma printing process is proposed for meeting the shielding needs. The specific work plan in Phase I will involve developing suitable inks and plasma process to print graphene-based nanocomposite film, and characterization of the surface morphology and electrical/shielding properties of the printed shielding film and correlation to plasma properties. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: The global electromagnetic interference shielding market is estimated to be $7.7 billion by 2026. Current methods using a wide range of shielding materials are cumbersome, dependent on capital-intensive equipment and inadequate to meet the shielding demands of ever-increasing number of devices and new technologies. A simple cost effective alternative as the plasma printing offered here is like painting a coating onto the object or device that needs the protection. The approach proposed here has the potential to capture a large share of the market due to its simplicity and low cost.