Key Findings
Professor Sung-Ryong Kim’s research team at Korea National University of Transportation has successfully fabricated an ultra-thin composite film that simultaneously provides high thermal dissipation, electromagnetic wave shielding, and durability. The film, developed by decomposing Kevlar fibers into nano-sized components and recombining them, demonstrates an EMI shielding effectiveness of over 99.999% even at a thickness comparable to a human hair. Furthermore, the material exhibits high mechanical durability, retaining approximately 95% of its initial performance after 10,000 repeated bending tests.
Technical Details
To overcome traditional trade-offs between strength and flexibility, the team focused on improving the alignment and bonding methods of aramid (Kevlar) nanofibers rather than increasing additive content. The researchers addressed a common issue where using water for film reconstruction caused rapid bonding and non-uniform structures. By replacing water with a mixed solution of acetic acid and alcohol, the team controlled the coagulation speed of the nanofibers. This allowed the fibers to align sufficiently and form bonds gradually, resulting in a denser and more uniform internal structure.
This optimization led to the following technical improvements:
- Thermal transfer performance increased by more than two times compared to existing methods, without the need for additional additives.
- Enhanced mechanical strength.
- Integration of graphene nanoplatelets to create a multifunctional composite film with simultaneously improved thermal conductivity, strength, and toughness.
Background and Context
The research was conducted as an international collaboration involving the CRANN Institute at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland and the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP). The project received funding through the Mid-Career Researcher Support Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Small and Medium Business Technology Innovation Development Project of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The findings were published online in the journal Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials.
Significance and Outlook
Professor Sung-Ryong Kim noted that the study provides a new material design method to secure both thermal conductivity and strength by controlling the bonding time between fibers. Researcher Muhammad Yasir added that this molecular-level structural design approach enables the development of various other high-performance composite materials.
Source: https://www.gukjenews.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=3740665
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