Graphene Oxide-Assisted Growth of ZnO on Carbon Fiber for Simutaniously Enhancing Interfacial and Electromagnetic Shielding Performance of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites

With the rapid development of communication and electronic devices, it is desirable for carbon fiber (CF) reinforced composites exhibiting good mechanical properties and electromagnetic shielding performance simultaneously. Graphene oxide (GO)/ZnO/DSPE heterogeneous structure has been designed and prepared for enhancing mechanical strength and electromagnetic shielding properties of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). Zinc oxide nanowires (ZnO NWs) uniformly, firmly, and vertically aligned on the surface of CF assisted by GO and polymer film phospholipid-polyethylene glycol (DSPE). The flexural strength (945.3 MPa), flexural modulus (75.5 GPa) and interlamellar shear strength (92.9 MPa) of the modified composite were increased by 71.8%, 90.2%, and 93.5%, respectively, compared with the untreated composites. Moreover, the CF composite also showed a strong electromagnetic absorption capacity; its electromagnetic shielding efficiency reached 42.89 dB, compared to the original fiber composite, increased by 65.40%. The enhancement could be attributed to a more conductive path in the composites originating from GO nanosheet and DSPE, effective reflection of vertical alignment ZnO on CF.