Asymmetric Ni/PVC films for high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding

A novel asymmetric Ni/PVC film has been developed by solution casting method. The structure, electrical conductivity, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and impact resistance were investigated. The results showed that the Ni particles were asymmetrically distributed along the thickness direction in the film. The top surface resistivity increased with film thickness, while the bottom surface exhibited the different trend. EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) depended on formation of closed packed conductive Ni network, which was influenced by both Ni content and film thickness. A linear relationship was observed between EMI SE and film thickness. The films with lower Ni content showed the faster increasing rate of EMI SE with film thickness. Some of the films show appreciably high EMI SE (> 40 dB), indicating the promising application in EMI shielding field. Moreover, the films exhibit different impact performance under different impacting directions. All the experimental facts demonstrate that the asymmetric structure endows the film achieving high-performance EMI shielding function.