Structural–Functional\nIntegrated Graphene-Skinned\nAramid Fibers for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Structural–functional integrated\npolymer fibers with exciting\nproperties are increasingly important for next-generation technologies.\nHerein, we report the structural–functional integrated graphene-skinned\naramid fiber (GRAF) featuring high conductivity, high strength, and\nlight weight, which is weaved for efficient electromagnetic interference\n(EMI) shielding. Graphene was self-assembled onto the surface of aramid\nfibers through a dip-coating strategy using an aramid polyanion (APA)\nas the binder and the etchant. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation\nresults show that the binding energy of the APA-modified aramid chain\nand graphene (1.3 J/m<sup>2</sup>) is superior to that of the aramid\nchain and graphene (0.2 J/m<sup>2</sup>). The APA has a higher surface\nenergy (55.2 mJ/m<sup>2</sup>) and can etch the fiber surface, forming\ngrooves, which enables effective adsorption and self-assembly of graphene\nonto the fiber surface. The GRAF exhibits a high conductivity of 1062.04\n± 116.78 S/m, along with excellent strength (4.66 ± 0.16\nGPa) and modulus (106.33 ± 8.21 GPa), outperforming most reported\nconductive composite fibers (e.g., natural fibers, polymer-based fibers,\ninorganic fibers, etc.). The weaved functional fabric using the structural–functional\nintegrated GRAF shows an EMI shielding efficiency (SE) of up to 67.86\ndB in the X-band and can rapidly heat up to 200 °C within 40\ns at 12 V voltage. In addition, the GRAF fabric can maintain its electrical\nconductivity after a long-term washing, showing excellent washing\nresistance. This study demonstrates an effective method to fabricate\nstructural–functional integrated materials and shows the promise\nof carbonene fibers for EMI shielding.