Flexible metalized polyimide nonwoven fabrics for efficient electromagnetic interference shielding

Designing and fabricating efficient electromagnetic interference shielding materials has become a significant and urgent concern. Hence, a novel lightweight and flexible metallized polyimide nonwoven fabric is successfully prepared by polydopamine roughening, palladium-free activation of chloroplatinic acid, electroless nickel plating, and octadecanethiol corrosion-resistant treatment. As a result, the efficient construction of metallized surface on polyimide fibers facilitates the formation of multiple scattering for incident electromagnetic waves, leading to an excellent electromagnetic interference performance. More importantly, the strong binding force between nickel plating and polyimide fiber substantially improves the high/low-temperature resistance, endowing the composite with excellent stability and durability in electromagnetic interference performance. Meanwhile, the self-assembly modification of octadecanethiol on the surfaces of nickel plating effectively achieves the inhibition of metal corrosion. Additionally, the high electrical conductivity of metallized polyimide nonwoven fabric endows it with a rapid-responsiveness Joule heating performance, which makes it promising to become an efficient electromagnetic interference shielding material with a distinct competitive advantage in the cold environment.