Eco-friendly and multifunctional aluminum flake/carbon fiber/cellulose composite papers with electromagnetic interference shielding

Recycling every viable material to produce new value-added products not only reduces waste, but also provides an opportunity to create sustainable and innovative solutions while preserving our natural resources. With this motivation, electrically conductive one-dimensional carbon fibers and two-dimensional aluminum flakes reinforced cellulose matrix composite papers were manufactured using recycled materials with a scalable, eco-friendly, and low-cost papermaking process. The designed composite paper showed 36.1 dB electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency (EMSE) with an absorbance-dominated performance by absorbing 98.85% of electromagnetic waves. An efficient impedance matching was obtained on the composite paper surface using reinforcements with different morphologies. Cellulose paper samples were converted to electrically conductive composites (0.415 S/cm), and the electrical conductivity was altered by tailoring the reinforcement ratios. Thermo-mechanical test results revealed that the cellulose matrix’s storage modulus was increased from 1.44 to 2.1 GPa with a 46.5% improvement. The composite cellulose paper represented increased hydrophilicity with higher porosity. The environmentally friendly composite paper responses to the escalating environmental worries and possesses a tremendous possibility of being utilized as an electromagnetic shielding material.