Carbon fiber-reinforced, activated carbon-embedded copper oxide nanoparticles/epoxy hybrid composites for EMI shielding in aircraft applications

The present work aimed at the development of lightweight EMI shielding epoxy-based composites with high mechanical strength for aircraft application. In this regard, we prepared CuO-activated carbon nanoparticles by the simple co-precipitation method. The different weight ratios (5, 10 and 15 wt%) of the CuO-activated carbon/epoxy composites are prepared, and their mechanical and EMI shielding properties have been studied. To achieve high mechanical and EMI shielding efficiency, the optimum composition of CuO-activated carbon/epoxy composite matrix is reinforced with the carbon fiber. The carbon fiber-reinforced CuO-activated carbon/epoxy hybrid composite exhibits high thermal and mechanical properties. The synergistic effect of carbon fiber and the 10 wt% CuO-activated carbon/epoxy composite matrix with excellent dielectric and ohmic losses delivered the highest electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness value of 52.02 dB at 11.48 GHz. Hence, the composite with superior thermal and mechanical properties can be used as a prominent electromagnetic shielding material in aircraft application.