Scalable roll-to-roll fabrication of lightweight and high-durability copper/carbon fiber wire for cable electromagnetic shielding
摘要
Traditional tin-plated Cu braids used for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding exhibit high weight and limited fatigue resistance, which limit their applicability in electric vehicles (EVs), aerospace systems and robotics. To address these limitations, this study proposes a slitting-Cu/carbon fiber tape (s-Cu/CF-T) fabricated via a scalable, one-step roll-to-roll process. By integrating lightweight carbon fibers with highly conductive Cu films using a polyurethane binder, we developed a high-performance shielding material that offers both structural integrity and exceptional flexibility. The resulting s-Cu/CF-T braided cable (s-Cu/CF-TC) achieved an average EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 49.3 dB in the 500–3000 kHz range, satisfying typical industrial requirements. The specific shielding effectiveness of s-Cu/CF-TC (17.9 dB cm3/g) was approximately 2.4 times that of conventional Cu wire braided cables, demonstrating significant potential for weight reduction. Furthermore, s-Cu/CF-TC exhibited superior mechanical durability; after cyclic bending tests, the SE decreased by only 3.2%, compared to a 6.6% reduction for conventional Cu braids. These findings demonstrate that s-Cu/CF-T is a highly effective, lightweight, and fatigue-resistant alternative to conventional metal-based shielding for advanced industrial applications.