Electromagnetic Shielding Performance of Flexible Laser-induced Graphene Enhanced by Copper@Nickel Nanowires

YANG Zhiyuan; GAO Daming; SONG Yanping; LI Zhao; KANG Jun; HAN Shuai; LI Nian

doi:10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.20.020

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Surface Technology ›› 2025, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (20) : 267-277. DOI: 10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.20.020

Surface Functionalization

Electromagnetic Shielding Performance of Flexible Laser-induced Graphene Enhanced by Copper@Nickel Nanowires

YANG Zhiyuan¹, GAO Daming^1,*, SONG Yanping², LI Zhao^2,3, KANG Jun^2,3, HAN Shuai⁴, LI Nian^2,*

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Abstract

The exponential growth of the fifth-generation (5G) communication system demands the development of advanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials that can effectively work at millimeter wave frequencies (26-40 GHz). Traditional metal shielding, although having high conductivity, is limited by rigidity, weight, and corrosion sensitivity and the application scenarios are greatly restricted. Therefore, to meet the requirements of miniaturization and wearable devices, a series of new EMI shielding materials have been extensively studied, gradually replacing the traditional EMI shielding metal materials. Nanomaterials such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, and metal nanoparticles have been favored by EMI shielding material researchers due to their high conductivity, rich nano-sized interfaces, and light weight. Currently, the main preparation method of graphene in industry is to prepare graphene oxide powder through wet chemical methods and then reduce it to reduced graphene oxide. This powder form of material inevitably faces problems such as graphene sheet stacking and agglomeration when undergoing application molding. On the other hand, the low reduction degree of graphene oxide and the residual non-graphene additives will also lead to a decrease in its conductivity. At the same time, graphene-based composite materials often exhibit limited inherent conductivity and insufficient electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency (SE) at high frequencies due to the discontinuous conductive network and insufficient interface interaction. Therefore, it is urgently necessary to develop a new type of material with a simple preparation method and capable of enhancing the electromagnetic shielding efficiency of the material.
To address these challenges, the work aims to propose a novel flexible copper-nickel nanowires (Cu@Ni NWs)/laser- induced graphene (LIG) composite film, which is designed through a synergistic method combining off-axis laser processing and gradient spin coating technology. By optimizing the parameters of CO₂ laser, a three-dimensional porous LIG matrix with customized hydrophilicity and hierarchical porosity was prepared. This structure not only facilitated the rapid penetration of solvents but also provided abundant anchoring sites for Cu@Ni NWs. The observation results of scanning electron microscope (SEM) images indicated that Cu@Ni NWs were uniformly dispersed in the LIG framework through a precisely controlled rotational coating process (600 r/min, 30 s/cycle), forming an interconnected conductive network. The EMI performance test results showed that the electrical conductivity of Cu@Ni NWs/LIG-II composite material (after two coating cycles) reached 2012 S/m, which was approximately 2.4 times higher than that of the original LIG (842 S/m). The average EMI SE of this composite material in the k band (18-26.5 GHz) was 45 dB, and the peak SE at 26 GHz was 46 dB, exceeding the 20 dB threshold for commercial applications and achieving >99.999% electromagnetic wave attenuation. Furthermore, due to the synergy between the flexible LIG and the strain-tolerant NW network, this composite material exhibited remarkable mechanical robustness, maintaining 90% of its initial SE after 300 bending cycles. An expandable and environmentally friendly method is established for manufacturing high-performance flexible EMI shielding, directly addressing the demands of 5G infrastructure and wearable electronic products. By combining defect engineering LIG with well-designed alloy nanowires, an exemplary design material paradigm for coordinating electrical, mechanical, and electromagnetic properties is presented. Future research will focus on extending this strategy to multi-material systems for broadband and multifunctional shielding applications.

Key words

copper@nickel nanowires / laser-induced graphene / surface hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity / gradient spin coating / electrical conductivity / electromagnetic shielding performance

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YANG Zhiyuan, GAO Daming, SONG Yanping, LI Zhao, KANG Jun, HAN Shuai, LI Nian. Electromagnetic Shielding Performance of Flexible Laser-induced Graphene Enhanced by Copper@Nickel Nanowires[J]. Surface Technology. 2025, 54(20): 267-277 https://doi.org/10.16490/j.cnki.issn.1001-3660.2025.20.020

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