Influence of Varied MWCNTs Dispersion on EMI Shielding, UV Absorption, and Surface Properties of Electroless NiP/MWCNT-Coated UHMWPE Fabric

The poor EMI shielding ability, limited UV resistance, and weak interfacial adhesion have restricted the use of Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric in ballistic, aviation, and other applications. To overcome these drawbacks, the present study proposes an electroless composite coating (NiP/MWCNT) on UHMWPE fabric surface with different weight propositions of MWCNTs (1 mg/L, 2 mg/L, and 3 mg/L). Comparative analysis in terms of morphology, surface roughness, functional groups, UV absorption, phase structure, surface energy, flammability, tensile load, peeling load, and EMI shielding was carried out to understand the influence of MWCNTs concentration in the NiP/MWCNT composite coating. Morphological analysis revealed that when the concentration of MWCNT increases, the nodular structure changes and the coating structure turns coarser. In addition, UV absorption, surface roughness, and crystal size increased and the burning rate during the flammability test decreased. Fabric tensile test and peel test results revealed improvements in breaking load and peeling load with higher MWCNTs concentration. In the X band frequency range, NiP/MWCNT composite coating exhibited higher shielding effectiveness (SE_T = 64.10 dB) for a lower coating thickness of 0.033 mm compared to NiP coating (SE_T = 42.25 dB) with a higher coating thickness of 0.038 mm. This article further details the EMI shielding, surface energy, single yarn tensile test, and the peeling load of NiP/MWCNT composite-coated UHMWPE fabrics.