Electrical, mechanical, and electromagnetic interference shielding properties of poly(ether-ketone)-MWCNT nanocomposites

In this work, the effect of untreated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) on electrical properties, microhardness, and the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI-SE) of poly(ether-ketone) (PEK)-based nanocomposites were investigated. The MWCNT was varied from 0 to 8 wt% using planetary ball milling followed by hot pressing. The field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed good dispersion of MWCNTs in the PEK matrix and interface between the MWCNT and the PEK matrix is also good. The DC electrical conductivities and the dielectric constants of the PEK nanocomposites were increased approximately fourteen- and three orders of magnitude, respectively, compared to neat PEK. The Vickers microhardness of the nanocomposites increased ~ 46% compared to neat PEK. The EMI-SE of the nanocomposites was investigated using a vector network analyzer in both X-band (8.2–12.4 GHz) and Ku-band (12.4–18 GHz). A remarkable improvement in the electrical conductivity and the dielectric constant was obtained, which resulted in EMI-SE of ~  > 52 dB in both bands.