PEG Surface Modification of ZnO Nanoparticles Improves Ductility and Absorption-Dominant EMI Shielding in PLA/PBS/Carbon Fiber Composites
POLYMERS, cilt.18, sa.19, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 18 Sayı: 19
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/polym18192388
- Dergi Adı: POLYMERS
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Chemical Abstracts Core, Compendex, INSPEC, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Composites based on biodegradable polymers are attractive replacements for metallic electromagnetic interference (EMI) shields, but their performance is limited by nanofiller agglomeration. In poly(lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) (PLA/PBS) composites reinforced with carbon fiber (CF), unmodified ZnO nanoparticles agglomerate above 1 wt %, severely embrittling the material. In this study, ZnO nanoparticles were coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, 8 kDa) by solution adsorption and incorporated at 0.5-2 wt % into PLA/PBS (80/20) containing 20 wt % CF. FTIR showed a +14 cm-1 shift in the ether C-O-C band (1093 -> 1107 cm-1), consistent with adsorption of PEG on the ZnO surface. Fracture surfaces showed uniform sub-micron dispersion, in contrast to the dense interfacial clusters formed by unmodified ZnO at the same loading. At 1 wt % PZ, the composites combined 76.3 MPa tensile strength and 2.35% strain with 71 dB X-band shielding effectiveness, more than three times the 20 dB commercial requirement. The highest shielding, 89 dB, was reached at 1.5 wt %, with absorption contributing more than 90% of the total. Unmodified ZnO required about five times this loading to reach comparable shielding.