Thermoplastic Polyurethane Reinforced with Continuous Carbon Fiber Tows: Manufacturing Technique and Fabric Property Evaluation

Co-extrusion technique is used to combine carbon fiber tows and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) blends into composite carbon fibers (CCFs). The TPU blends serve as the shell and the carbon fiber tows serve as the core. CCFs are fabricated into woven composites and knitted composites with electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). The effects of the content of carbon fiber tows on different fabrics are examined. The failure mechanism of CCFs is improved as the fiber slippage along the axial direction replaces the fiber fracture. Fabrics made of CCFs are soft. The laminated woven composites have an average EMI SE of -27.20 dB at 0–3000 MHz and -44.99 dB at 2450 MHz, suggesting a good EMI attenuation capability. This study proposes the use of co-extrusion technique followed coating and fabrication of carbon fibers. This brand-new concept would be vital in the development of carbon fiber composites.