Photopolymerized Thin Coating of Polypyrrole/Graphene Nanofiber/Iron Oxide onto Nonpolar Plastic for Flexible Electromagnetic Radiation Shielding, Strain Sensing, and Non-Contact Heating Applications

The current work presents the fabrication of micrometer-thick single-side-coated surface-engineered polypropylene (PP) film for versatile flexible electronics applications. Herein, the authors report, for the first time, photopolymerized thin coating of graphene nanofibers (GNFs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) onto non-polar plastic via surface chemistry. The fabrication is achieved by adopting three consecutive steps; initially corona treated PP films are treated with silane for thin layer silica coating. Then, the silylated PP films are brushed up by pyrrole/GNFs/IONPs mixture, followed by UV exposure. The coated films show surface conductivity in the range of approximate to 20 S cm(-1) at room temperature. Moreover, approximate to 15 microns of the coated film is tested against electromagnetic waves in the X-band region (8.2-12.4 GHz) and its shielding behavior (approximate to 24 dB) is confirmed. To demonstrate its wide range of versatility, the coated films are tested against angular strain and oscillatory magnetic fields. The results confirm angle dependent strain sensitivity and induction heating obeying Neel relaxation. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first synergistic coating archived for mitigating radiation pollution, strain sensing, and non-contact heating.

Automated summary

This study successfully fabricated micrometer-thick single-side-coated surface-engineered polypropylene film with excellent surface conductivity and electromagnetic wave shielding properties, suitable for flexible electronics applications. Additionally, the coated film demonstrated angle-dependent strain sensitivity and response to oscillatory magnetic fields, providing a new approach for mitigating radiation pollution, strain sensing, and non-contact heating.