Electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness and mechanical sliding behavior for electroless nickel/phosphorous–poly(tetrafluoroethylene) codeposition on carbon fiber/acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene composites

Poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) powders were mounted on an electroless nickel/phosphorous (Ni/P) film on the surface of a carbon fiber by an electroless codeposition method. This type of carbon fiber filler, denoted FENCF, was then compounded with acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) for use in electromagnetic interference shielding. For the suspension of the PTFE powders, a surfactant was used. Although the adhesion between the electroless Ni/P–PTFE films and the fiber was reduced, the PTFE powders on the surface of FENCF reduced the torque values when compounded into the ABS matrix because of a self‐lubricating effect. The two‐step FENCF composites exhibited particularly significant advantages. The torque values for the two‐step FENCF/ABS composites were about one‐half of those for carbon fiber/ABS composites in compounding processes; in addition, the former had an average mean fiber length almost 2.5 times that of the latter. The multiyield phenomena in stress–strain curves of FENCF/ABS composites implied that the PTFE powders mounted on Ni/P films slid during stress–strain action. The electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of FENCF/ABS composites did not decrease significantly even though the PTFE powders formed a discontinuous phase on the electroless Ni/P films. The mechanical properties of FENCF composites were enhanced because of the larger fiber length. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 1661–1668, 2002