Fabrication and Characterization of UHMWPE-Ni Composites for Enhanced Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Nickel-plated ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) samples were prepared by an electroless coating method followed by hot pressing. The concentration of Ni in the composites was varied between 3.98 and 10.88 in volume percentage. XRD results revealed that Ni coating was successfully realized on the surface of UHWMPE particles confirmed by SEM-EDS. Ni thickness on the UHMWPE particles has thickness of 2 mu m and there was also self-precipitated Ni plates as well as additive Ni particles according to SEM. Hardness values of Ni-coated UHMWPE-Ni composites increased 30% with increasing Ni content. The EMI-SE of the composite increased from 49 up to 70 dB by increasing Ni content for both X and Ku-band with respect to Ni concentration. Our samples, performed very high shielding within X band and also Ku band compared to most of other reports in the open literature, can be suitable for high-performance requirements especially in aerospace applications.