Analysis of mechanical, thermal, electrical and EMI shielding properties of graphite/carbon fiber reinforced polypropylene composites prepared via a twin screw extruder

The present research focuses on the preparation of an efficient material that acts as a deterrent to electromagnetic pollution. In this study, graphite and carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polypropylene (PP) composites (GCF) are prepared using a melt processing technique via a twin-screw extruder. The prepared composites were evaluated for mechanical, thermal, DC conductivity, and EMI shielding properties. There is a rise in the tensile strength (4.32%) and thermal stability (6.57%) of composites were recorded as compared to pure PP. The fractured morphology of the composites showed the breakdown of CF, leading to the improvement in the tensile strength of the composites. An increase in electrical conductivity was seen at maximum (GCF4) filler loading indicating 2.31 x 10(-4) S/cm which is much better than the pure PP value (2.07 x 10(-10) S/cm). The maximum value of shielding effectiveness is achieved at the maximum weight percentage of filler loading which is -44.43 dB with a thickness of 2 mm covering the X-band (8.2-12.4 GHz).