Lightweight and highly conductive silver nanoparticles functionalized meta-aramid nonwoven fabric for enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding.

High-performance electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding material that that can function properly under extreme working conditions is critical for their practical applications. Herein, flexible and highly conductive meta-aramid (PMIA) nonwoven fabrics were fabricated by combining polydopamine (PDA) modification and electroless silver plating. The PDA modification greatly enhanced the efficient deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and the interfacial cohesion between the AgNPs and the PMIA fibers. The silver-coated PMIA nonwoven fabric exhibited an electrical conductivity as high as 0.29 Ω/sq, an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 92.6 dB and a high absolute EMI SE of 8194.7 dB cm2 g−1. In addition, the silver-coated PMIA nonwoven fabric maintained high electrical conductivity and EMI SE after being subjected to washing, bending and torsion deformations, high/low temperature, strong acidic/alkaline solutions and different organic solvents. These results have clearly demonstrated that PMIA nonwoven fabric can be made highly electrically conductive by using a simple and highly scalable method. It holds great promise for the applications in EMI shielding materials that can be used in various harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]