Study of electrical volume-conductivity, tensile strength, and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of coconut fiber composite

Abstract

Natural fiber composite becomes a necessity encountering the issue of eco-friendly materials. The application of natural fiber composite as electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding enclosures has not been studied extensively. This study aims to investigate the performance of the coconut fiber composite as EMI shielding enclosure material. Enhancement of the electrical volume-conductivity of the composite was made by polymerization of coconut fiber with polyaniline and doping the multiwall carbon nanotubes to epoxy resin. Three types of composites were made with different weight percentages of coconut fiber: 5, 10, and 15 wt%. The highest volume-conductivity and shielding effectiveness of coconut fiber composite are 0,0458 S/m and −7.69 dB from the highest weight percentage of coconut fiber (15 wt%). While the highest tensile strength (26.78 MPa) resulted from the lowest weight percentage (5 wt%). This study shows the coconut fiber composite could potentially be the material of EMI shielding enclosure though their electrical conductivity and tensile strength should be increased.