CFRP hybrid composites manufacturing and electromagnetic wave shielding performance-a review

Figures & data

Figure 1. The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, corresponding sources, and devices (Jagadeesh Chandra et al., 2019).

Figure 2. EM Wave motion in a shielding material (Ganguly et al., 2018).

Table 1. Typical CFRP aerospace components are formed by several techniques (Dutton et al., 2014).

Types of Structures	Manufacturing method	Applications
Sheets, Thick monolithic Sheets integrally stiffened. Sandwich panels Shells Beams Complex forms	Laminating	Wing skins Empennage skins Control surfaces; floor sections Fuselage sections Spars; ribs Aerofoils
Small complex forms	RTM	Doors; door pillars; flaps; spoilers
Closed shells Open shells Tubes Secondary formed tubes	Filament winding	Pressure vessels Radomes; rocket motors Driveshafts Helicopter blades
Tubes Complex tubes Closed shells Secondary formed	Braiding	Driveshafts Curved pipes, truss joints, ducts, Pressure vessels Fuselage frames, propellers, helicopter blades
See laminating. Complex wraps	Tow placement	See laminating. Grips; shafts; ducts
Beams	Pultrusion	Floor beams; stringers; spars; ribs; longerons

Figure 3. Manufacturing flow chart to develop CFRP composites for EM shielding applications.

Figure 4. Ni-CF/E composite manufacturing steps (Zhu et al., 2021).

Figure 5. Schematic for the fabrication of the PU-AgNW/CFF fabric (Jia et al., 2019).

Figure 6. The schematic diagram represents the process steps of CF/Ti3C2Tx MXene/PEEK nanocomposites.

Figure 7. Schematic representation of the preparation process of the hybrid carbon ink‑loaded polyester nonwoven fabric/epoxy composites (S‑x/G/PF/Ep).

Figure 8. Schematic of the wet electro-flocking method.

Figure 9. Factors influencing EM wave shielding effectiveness and structure properties of CFRP multilayer laminates.

Figure 10. Plot of electromagnetic shielding effectiveness achieved by the various researchers.

Table 2. The manufacturing method, material combination, conductivity, and shielding effectiveness of CFRP composites.

Researcher	Material Combination	SE/conductivity	Frequency (GHz)	Remarks	Manufacturing method	References
Zhu et al.	CF/E	20 dB/0.27 S/cm	8-12	Adding PDA improved interface strength and led to enhanced structure properties and less effect on SE. This technique is suitable for obtaining good EM shielding material with excellent structure properties.	VARI	(Zhu et al., 2021)
	CF – Ni/E	35 dB/1.94 S/cm
	CF – Ni – 0.1PDA/E	31 dB/1.87 S/cm
	CF – Ni – 0.2PDA/E	32.5 dB/1.85 S/cm
	CF – Ni – 0.3PDA/E	30 dB/1.79 S/cm
Yuan et al.	CF/PEEK	21 dB/0.25 S/cm		The addition of MXene nanosheets increased the absorption of EM radiation and found consistent reflection. Also, the addition of PAI improved the mechanical properties of the CF-reinforced PEEK composites.	Solution coating and hot compression molding	(Yuan et al., 2021)
	CF/PAI + MX0/PEEK	23 dB/0.3 S/cm
	CF/PAI + MX1/PEEK	31 dB/2.2 S/cm
	CF/PAI + MX2/PEEK	33 dB/2.7 S/cm
	CF/PAI + MX3/PEEK	36 dB/3.1 S/cm
	CF/PAI + MX4/PEEK	42 dB/3.25 S/cm
Magisetty et al.	0 wt % Ni-NiFe2O4/ABS	45 dB/-	8-12	Achieved good SE with water repellency and can be used in moist and humid weather conditions.	Doctor blade coating technique	(Magisetty et al., 2019)
	10 wt% Ni-Ni Fe2O4/ABS	46 dB/-
	20 wt% Ni-Ni Fe2O4/AB	47 dB/-
	30 wt% Ni-Ni Fe2O4/ABS	48 dB/-
	40 wt% Ni-Ni Fe2O4/ABS	62 dB/-
Jia et al.	Neat CFF	45 dB/1724 S/m	8-12	These composites are suitable for EM shielding in harsh environment situations.	Solution coating method	(Jia et al., 2019)
	AgNW – 1dip/CFF	60 dB/2703 S/m
	AgNW – 3dip/CFF	79 dB/5841 S/m
	AgNW – 5dip/CFF	92 dB/10120 S/m
	AgNW – 7dip/CFF	110 dB/15390 S/m
Park et al.	Neat CF	66 dB/-	8-12	Scalable approach for manufacturing Ag-coated CF fabrics with good EM shielding.	R2R coated method	(Park et al., 2020)
	CF/5.1 mg/${\mathrm{\text{cm}}}^2\mathrm{A}\mathrm{g}$	76 dB/-
	CF/6.5 mg/${\mathrm{\text{cm}}}^2\mathrm{A}\mathrm{g}$	86 dB/-
	CF/17.5 mg/${\mathrm{\text{cm}}}^2\mathrm{A}\mathrm{g}$	104 dB/-
Stupar et al.	Neat CF	26 dB/-	8-12	Recommended the modified CF fabric with silver metalized for designing warfare equipment.	Coating, Metalizing and sintering	(Stupar et al., 2022)
	CF + Ag 1 cycle annealing	39 dB/-
	CF + Ag 3 cycle annealing	46 dB/-
	CF + Ag 5 cycle annealing	52 dB/-
Lee et al.	G/PF/E	14 dB/8.2 S/m	8-12	Absorption dominating SE increased as a function of SWCNT concentration, and the same trend was observed for conductivity.	Vacuum-assisted molding	(Lee et al., 2022)
	SWNT/0.5/PF/E	22.5 dB/15 S/m
	SWNT/1.0/PF/E	27 dB/20 S/m
	SWNT/2.0/PF/E	40 dB/30.2 S/m
	SWNT/4.0/PF/E	35 dB/28.2 S/m
Yesmin et al.	GF/SCF-80µm 1000 Nos per mm^2/MWCNT/E	6 dB/-	8-12	${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4$ nanoparticles more influence on SE, these also influence the absorption mode attenuation of EM radiation. Significant improvement of SE found in composites have 1 wt.% ${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4$ and higher aspect ratio SCF.	Vacuum-assisted molding	(Yesmin & Chalivendra, 2021)
	GF/SCF-150/1000/MWCNT/E	13 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/1000/MWCNT/E	19 dB/-
	GF/SCF-80/2000/MWCNT/E	10 dB/-
	GF/SCF-150/2000/MWCNT/E	12 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/2000/MWCNT/E	15 dB/-
	GF/SCF-80/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	9 dB/-
	GF/SCF-150/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	19 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	36 dB/-
	GF/SCF-80/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	15 dB/-
	GF/SCF-150/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	14 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 0.5/$ E	40 dB/-
	GF/SCF-80/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	11 dB/-
	GF/SCF-150/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	30 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/1000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	83 dB/-
	GF/SCF-80/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	30 dB/-
	GF/SCF-150/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	69 dB/-
	GF/SCF-350/2000/MWCNT/${\mathrm{\text{Fe}}}_3{\mathrm{O}}_4 1/$ E	86 dB/-
Ucar et al.	ep	12.3 dB/$1.7\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm	8-12	Graphene oxide fiber and reduced graphene oxide have a highly rough surface that causes multiple reflections due to a decline in SE.	Coating	(Ucar et al., 2018)
	ep/GO	13.3 dB/$1.6\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	1.5CNT/ep	11.8 dB/2.1$\times {10}^{-4}$ S/cm
	1.5CNT/ep/GO	12.6 dB/$1.8\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	1.5CNT/ep/rGO	13.5 dB/$1.6\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	1.5CNT/ep/0-0 rGO	17.1 dB/2.5$\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	1.5CNT/ep/0-90 rGO	7.7 dB/3$\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	1.7CNT/ep	22.4 dB/4.3$\times {10}^{-6}$ S/cm
	5CNT/ep	20 dB/6.6$\times {10}^{-6}$ S/cm
	15CNT/ep	32 dB/$1\times {10}^{-7}$ S/cm
	15CNT/ep/GO	12.3 dB/$1.2\times {10}^{-4}$ S/cm
	15CNT/ep/0-90 GO	11.2 dB/9.5$\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	15CNT/ep/rGO	8.9 dB/6$.7\times {10}^{-5}$ S/cm
	15CNT/ep/0-90 rGO	11.2 dB/$1.3\times {10}^{-4}$ S/cm
Gupta et al.	CF fabric/epoxy laminates of thickness 2.3 mm	27 dB/$1.65\times {10}^{-4}$ S/m	8-12	Composite without filler	Compression molding	(Gupta et al., 2021)
Aripin et al.	CFRTP - /$0^0$- Unidirectional	40 dB/102 S/m	8-12	The direction of fiber orientation influences SE. Crossplay gives better SE as compared to unidirectional.	Hot -Compression molding	(Aripin et al., 2020)
	CFRTP - /$0^0/{90}^0$ - Bidirectional	50 to 60 dB/147 S/m
	CFRTP - /$0^0/{90}^0/{45}^0/{-45}^0$ – Quasi-isotropic	80 to 90 dB/280 S/m
Merizgui et al.	Single Laminate (0.5 m thickness)	E band to J band	8-12	The alternative layer of metal nanocomposite film enhanced the SE.	Hand - Lay Up method	(Merizgui et al., 2022)
	CF/TiO2 /Co	40 dB to 60 dB
	Double Laminate (2.5 m thickness)
	CF - GF/TiO2 /Co	50 dB to 82 dB
	Triple Laminate (3 m thickness)
	CF – GF - CF/TiO2 /Co	60 dB to 90 dB
	Single Laminate (0.5 thickness)
	GF / CF/ TiO2 /Co	22 dB to 42 dB
	Double Laminate
	GF – CF / TiO2 /Co	42 dB to 66 dB
	Triple Laminate (3 m thickness)
	GF – CF – GF/ TiO2 /Co	46 dB to 82 dB.
Ma et al.	P – P	17.5 dB to 18 dB	8-12	The carbon NF layer interface enhances absorption.	Vacuum Bagging Process	(Ma et al., 2022)
	C – P – P – C	25 dB to 24 dB
Hong et al.	CFRP [$0^0/0^0/0^0/0^0]$	20 dB to 19 dB	4-16	The anisotropy of the composite influences SE.	Compression molding	(Hong et al., 2021)
	CFRP [$0^0/0^0/90^0/{90}^0]$	21 dB to 24 dB
	CFRP [$0^0/{90}^0/0^0/0^0]$	22 dB to 25 dB
	CFRP ($[/{90}^0/0^0/{90}^0]$	23 dB to 29 dB
Coskun et al.	Orientation		0.9 - 6	Orientation of fiber at ${90}^0$ gives better EMSE as compared to $0^0.$	Hand - Lay Up method	(Coskun, 2022)
	[$0^0,0^0]$	21.4 dB
	[$0^0,{90}^0]$	44.7 dB
	[$0^0,0^0,0^0]$	21.5 dB
	[$0^0,{90}^0,0^0]$	47.7 dB
Singh et al.	30 vol CF + 70 vol Epoxy	29.4 dB	8.2 – 12.4	The addition of MWCNT improved inter-laminar shear strength.	Perform Compression molding	(Singh et al., 2012)
	1 vol % MWCNT + 29 vol CF + 70 vol Epoxy	38.4 dB
	2 vol % MWCNT + 29 vol CF + 70 vol Epoxy	43 dB
	3 vol % MWCNT + 29 vol CF + 70 vol Epoxy	45.5 dB
	4 vol % MWCNT + 29 vol CF + 70 vol Epoxy	51.1 dB
Mei et al.	CEF-NF	37 dB	8 - 12	Composites show protection against oxidation and Super hydrophobic.	Electroplating and Electroless plating	(Lu et al., 2020)
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-60	70 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-120	91 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-4x30	89 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-30	50 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-90	90 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag-2x60	100 dB
	CEF-NF/PDA/Ag/50-60	101.27 dB

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Data availability statement

All data used for this research is included in this manuscript.