Lightweight Poly(phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 6/Carbon Fiber Microcellular Composites with Enhanced Thermal Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance

Tuan-Hui Jiang; Jing-Fu Xing; Yue He; Feng Yu; Zhang-Qin Mu; Xiang-Bu Zeng; Sheng-Nan Li; Xiao-Die Zhang; Bu-Jin Liu; Chun Zhang; Li He; Wei Gong

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3839-7

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Lightweight Poly(phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 6/Carbon Fiber Microcellular Composites with Enhanced Thermal Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-10-10

- Lightweight Poly(phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 6/Carbon Fiber Microcellular Composites with Enhanced Thermal Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Pages: 1-13(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.College of Materials and Metallurgy, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
  b.Guizhou Material Industrial Technology Institute, Guiyang 550014, China
  c.School of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Guizhou Institute of Technology, Guiyang 550025, China
  d.Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang 550025, China
  e.Liupanshui Normal University, Liupanshui 553004, China
  f.Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3G8, Canada
- Author bio：
  
  lihe@gzu.edu.cn (L.H.)
  gw20030501@163.com (W.G.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3839-7
  CLC：
- Received：28 July 2026，
  
  Accepted：11 August 2026，
  
  Online First：10 October 2026，
  
  Published：2026-09
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Jiang, T. H.; Xing, J. F.; He, Y.; Yu, F.; Mu, Z. Q.; Zeng, X. B.; Li, S. N.; Zhang, X. D.; Liu, B. J.; Zhang, C.; He, L.; Gong, W. Lightweight poly(phenylene oxide)/polyamide 6/carbon fiber microcellular composites with enhanced thermal resistance and electromagnetic interference shielding performance. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3839-7

Tuan-Hui Jiang, Jing-Fu Xing, Yue He, et al. Lightweight Poly(phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 6/Carbon Fiber Microcellular Composites with Enhanced Thermal Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-13.
Jiang, T. H.; Xing, J. F.; He, Y.; Yu, F.; Mu, Z. Q.; Zeng, X. B.; Li, S. N.; Zhang, X. D.; Liu, B. J.; Zhang, C.; He, L.; Gong, W. Lightweight poly(phenylene oxide)/polyamide 6/carbon fiber microcellular composites with enhanced thermal resistance and electromagnetic interference shielding performance. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10118-026-3839-7 DOI：

Tuan-Hui Jiang, Jing-Fu Xing, Yue He, et al. Lightweight Poly(phenylene oxide)/Polyamide 6/Carbon Fiber Microcellular Composites with Enhanced Thermal Resistance and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Performance[J/OL]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 441-13. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3839-7.

摘要

Abstract

Poly(phenylene oxide) (PPO)

an engineering plastic with excellent comprehensive performance

faces significant processing challenges owing to its high melt viscosity

which severely limits its large-scale applications. The introduction of polyamide 6 (PA6) effectively improved its processability

but inevitably compromised the inherent heat resistance of PPO. In this study

high-modulus

heat-resistant

and electromagnetically shielded carbon fiber (CF)-reinforced PPO/PA6 (PPO/PA6/CF) microcellular composites were fabricated using chemical foaming injection molding. The effects of CF content on the foaming behavior

thermal properties

mechanical properties

and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding performance of the composites were systematically investigated. The results indicated that when the CF content was 5 wt%

the PPO/PA6/CF microcellular composite exhibited the optimal cell structure with an average cell diameter of 49.44 μm and a cell density of 3.48×10

cells/cm

. In addition

the synergistic effect of the fiber network structure and improved crystallinity significantly enhanced the heat resistance of the PPO/PA6/CF foams. Compared with the PPO/PA6 foam

the PPO/PA6/CF foams exhibited an increase in heat deflection temperature (HDT) of 84.7 °C

reaching 181.2 °C

along with a flexural modulus as high as 8509 .16 MPa and an EMI shielding effectiveness of 37.02 dB

demonstrating remarkable multifunctionality. This study provides a feasible pathway for the efficient and scalable production of lightweight PPO-based composites with superior thermal deformation resistance and EMI shielding performance.

关键词

Keywords

references

Bing, X. H.; Ma, W. Y.; Wu, M. H.; Gao, P.; Zhou, X.; Luo, H. B.; Wang, L.; Zheng, W. G. Lightweight, strong and high heat-resistant poly (lactide acid) foams via microcellular injection molding with self-assembly nucleating agent. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2024 , 42 , 739−750..

Liu, A.; Zhang, Y.; Xu, X.; Kong, J.; Gu, J. Multi-field synergy for orchestrating filler angles in polyimide aerogels with switchable electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Mater. 2026 , 38 , e73267..

Zhao, Z. Y.; Jiang, H.; Li, X. D.; Zhang, X. D.; Su, X.; Zou, M. S. Research on the dynamic compressibility of polyurethane microcellular elastomer and its application for impact resistance. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2024 , 42 , 1185−1197..

Wang, Y.; Chai, Y.; Wang, L.; Zhang, G.; Yu, K.; Sun, X.; Ji, E. Lightweight and high performance nano-cellular poly (lactic acid)/poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) foams characterized by high volume expansion ratio. Polym. Test. 2025 , 150 , 108920..

Yang, J.; Xie, J.; Ji, K.; Wang, X.; Jiao, X.; Xu, Z.; Zhao, P. Microcellular injection molding of polyether-ether-ketone. Polymer 2022 , 251 , 124866..

Wang, Y.; Zhu, L.; Wang, J.; Shangguan, Y.; Zheng, Q. Flexible, high thermal conductivity, and EMI shielding performance thermoplastic polyurethane composites through reinforced-orientation carbon fiber. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2024 , 6 , 6057−6067..

Zeng, X.; Li, S.; Xing, J.; Zhang, X.; Zhang, C.; Gong, W.; He, L.; Jiang, T. Synergistic effects of resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) on the flame retardancy, foaming behavior, and thermal stability of poly (2, 6-dimethyl-1, 4-phenylene oxide)/polyamide (PPO/PA) composites. Polym. Test. 2026 , 156 , 109129..

Zhai, M.; Zhao, S.; Guo, H.; Li, X.; Shi, X.; He, M.; Zhang, Y.; Gu, J. Bionic-structured electromagnetic interference shieldingcomposites. Sci. Bull. 2025 , 70 , 2347−2364..

Xu, J.; Xu, R.; Wang, Z.; Fang, Z.; Zhu, X.; Meng, Y.; Liu, Q.; Wang, K. Polyphenylene oxide/boron nitride–alumina hybrid composites with high thermal conductivity, low thermal expansion and ultralow dielectric loss. Polym. Compos. 2024 , 45 , 5267−5280..

Zhu, G.; Guo, J.; Lu, X.; Cao, Y.; Yang, Y.; Wang, J.; Wang, W. Dual-mechanism enhanced basalt fiber/polyphenylene oxide (BF/PPO) composites: integrating chemical bonding and mechanical interlocking through PPO - MAH/CNTs hybrid sizing. Polym. Compos. 2026 , 47 , 5623−5634..

Zhong, W.; Yu, J.; Yang, N.; Hu, D.; Chen, Y.; Fan, C.; Jiang, X.; Zhao, L. PS/PPO fo am with excellent comprehensive properties prepared by integrated foaming and sintering strategy with microwave-assisted. Compos. Commun. 2024 , 48 , 101925..

Xu, Y.; Zhang, Z.; Gong, Z.; Hu, S. Preparation of SiO 2 /MA coated APP and its application in flame retardant and foamed PPO/PS blends. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2026 , 143 , e70508..

Zhang, Q. Y.; Li, H. S.; Guo, B. H.; Guo, Z. X.; Yu, J. Facile preparation of electromagnetic interference shielding materials enabled by constructing interconnected network of multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a miscible polymeric blend. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 38 , 593−598..

Song, L.; Zhang, Y.; Ren, J.; Li, Y.; Yang, B.; Xing, E.; Wang, Y.; Shi, Y. Effect of entanglement density on mechanical properties and the deformation mechanism of rubber-modified PPO/PS blends. Macromol. Mater. Eng. 2022 , 307 , 2200325..

Xia, H.; Lai, Y.; Zhou, J.; Jiang, Z.; Chen, J.; Yang, J.; Zhang, X.; Niu, J. Synthesis and characterization of PS- g -PA6 comb-type copolymers and their compatibilizing effects on PA/PPO blends. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2025 , 142 , e57738..

Li, Y.; Yang, G. An unusual morphology and crystallization behavior in in situ formed polyphenylene oxide/polyamide 6 blends. J. Mater. Sci. 2010 , 45 , 987−992..

Yuan, Z.; Zhao, X.; Ye, L. Super-strong polyphenylene oxide/polyphenylene sulfide blend foam fabricated by constructing highly oriented crystalline structure. J. Supercrit. Fluids 2022 , 189 , 105731..

Wang, H.; You, J.; Tian, M.; Qiu, J.; Xing, H.; Xue, J.; Jiang, Z.; Tang, T. Preparing flame-retardant poly (phenylene oxide)/polyurea nanocomposite foam with excellent heat-resistance and shape memory performance. Compos. Commun. 2023 , 40 , 101589..

Yu, J.; Chen, Y.; Zhong, W.; Hu, D.; Jia, X.; Sun, J.; Jiang, Y.; Jiang, X.; Wang, H.; Zhao, L. Microcellular long-chain branched polyphenylene oxide (PPO) with excellent comprehensive properties and comprehensive analysis of its dielectric properties. Eur. Polym. J. 2024 , 214 , 113157..

Yan, M.; Li, Z.; Liu, H.; Sun, Y.; Wang, X.; Chen, S. Synergistic effects of in situ fibrillated polytetrafluoroethy lene and polystyrene–butadiene block on the microcellular foaming behaviors of polyphenylene oxide modified by high-impact polystyrene. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2024 , 141 , e55551..

Zhai, W.; Li, D.; Huang, P. Influences of high-impact polystyrene loading on the foaming behavior andflame-retardantproperties of polyphenylene oxide composites blown withCO 2 . J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2021 , 138 , 50122..

Liu, B.; Xing, J.; Jiang, T.; You, Y.; Zeng, X.; Yang, J.; Zhang, C.; Gong, W.; He, L. Lightweight and tough polypropylene/silica nanoparticle composite foam nucleated from nanoparticles with intrinsic cavities for plastic structural components. ACS Appl. Nano Mater. 2023 , 6 , 14967−14979..

Wu, L.; Mu, Z.; Lei, J.; Wei, Z.; Xing, J.; Zhang, X.; Jiang, T.; Zeng, X.; He, L. Foaming behavior, combustion behavior, and flame-retardant mechanism of PP/IFR/SiO 2 microcellular flame-retardant foams. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2025 , 64 , 5406−5416..

Yu, F.; Xing, J.; Ding, D.; Shi, Y.; Zeng, X.; Li, S.; Jiang, T.; He, L. Microcellular polyphenylene oxide/polyamide 6 (PPO/PA6) prepared by chemical foaming injection molding exhibits low-temperature toughness and excellent comprehensive prope rties. Polymer 2025 , 340 , 129227..

Xu, W.; Yang, Y.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Li, T.; Liu, A.; Gong, W.; Gu, J. Polymer-based composite fibers for electromagnetic interference shielding. SusMat 2026 , 6 , e70071..

Imtiaz, S.; Siddiq, M.; Kausar, A.; Muntha, S. T.; Ambreen, J.; Bibi, I. A review featuring fabrication, properties and applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced polymer and epoxy nanocomposites. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 36 , 445−461..

Dong, H.; Liu, Z.; Guo, J.; Lv, S.; Huang, H.; Jiang, X. Vertically aligned carbon fiber/polydimethylsiloxane composites prepared by lyophilization with exceptional thermal conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding performance. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 490 , 151620..

Lei, S.; Tian, D.; Wang, J.; Cui, J.; Duan, Z.; Xu, Y.; Lu, X.; Sun, R.; Hu, Y. Two-in-one demonstration of anisotropic thermal management and near-field EMI shielding via vertically aligned carbon fibers composites in electronic packaging. Compos. Part B Eng. 2026 , 313 , 113414..

Liu, Y.; Guan, Y.; Li, X.; Zhang, Z.; Sun, X.; Zhai, J.; Lin, J. Supercritical N 2 induced sandwich type lightweight and strong PP/CF foams with excellent electromagnetic shielding properties. Chem. Eng. J. 2024 , 501 , 157532..

Rodriguez-Melendez, D.; Mandal, T.; Palen, B.; Long, C. T.; Chiang, H.-C.; Sarikaya, S.; Naraghi, M.; Grunlan, J. C. Heat-shielding nanobrick wall for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composites. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2023 , 5 , 3270−3277..

Ameli, A.; Jung, P. U.; Park, C. B. Electrical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness of polypropylene/carbon fiber composite foams. Carbon 2013 , 60 , 379−391..

Liang, J.; Xu, Y.; Wei, Z.; Song, P.; Chen, G.; Zhang, W. Mechanical properties, crystallization and melting behaviors of carbon fiber-reinforced PA6 composites. J. Therm. Anal. Calorim. 2014 , 115 , 209−218..

Xing, J.; He, L.; Jiang, T. Effect of hardness on the foaming behavior, surface quality, and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethane foams by chemical foaming injection molding. Polym. Eng. Sci. 2024 , 64 , 5929−5939..

Yang, J.; Jiang, T.; Liu, B.; Zhang, C.; Zeng, X.; He, L.; Gong, W. Experimental and numerical analysis of bubble nucleation in foaming polymer. Mater. Des. 2021 , 203 , 109577..

Bandaru, A. K.; Lahellec, S.; Ma, H.; Barnana, H. D.; O’Higgins, R. M. Elucidation of crystalline morphology, crystallinity and mechanical properties of carbon fibre/PEEK composites under different cooling rates. J. Compos. Mater. 2025 , 59 , 681−697..

Ren, Y.; Yu, M.; Li, Z.; Ji, C.; Li, J.; Zhang, C.; Shen, J.; Zhou, J.; Zhu, S. Exploring the self-nucleation effect: transforming crystalline morphology for improved mechanical performance of carbon fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide composites. Compos. Part B Eng. 2024 , 272 , 111231..

Li, W.; Zhao, G.; Wang, G.; Zhang, L. Lightweight and flexible poly (ether-mb-amide)/carbon fiber foam with manipulating microphase separation and sandwich structure for outstanding electromagnetic interference shielding application. Chem. Eng. J. 2025 , 522 , 168155..

Ding, W.; Kuboki, T.; Won g, A.; Park, C. B.; Sain, M. Rheology, thermal properties, and foaming behavior of high d-content polylactic acid/cellulose nanofiber composites. RSC Adv. 2015 , 5 , 91544−91557..

Li, W.; Zhao, G.; Wang, G.; Zhang, L.; Li, X.; Xu, Z. Real-microcellular poly (ether-block-amide)/carbon fiber foams with improved mechanical property and surface quality for high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding applications. J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2023 , 26 , 6508−6519..

Luo, M.; Liu, B.; Li, T.; Xu, J.; Zhu, N.; Zeng, X.; Jiang, T.; He, L. Effect of viscosity on foaming behavior and surface quality of foamed Polyamide 6. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2023 , 140 , e54588..

Zhong, M.; Liu, S.; Chen, S.; Wang, X.; Wang, Y.Effect of stereo complexation on high-temperature microcellular foaming behaviour, compressive property and heat resistance of branched Poly(l-lactide)/poly(d-lactide). J. Polym. Environ. 2025 , 33 , 840−853..

Tang, Z.; Zhang, C.; Liu, X.; Zhu, J. The crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of polylactic acid in the presence of a crystal nucleating agent. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2012 , 125 , 1108−1115..

Chai, K.; Xu, Z.; Chen, D.; Liu, Y.; Fang, Y.; Song, Y. Effect of nano TiO 2 on the cellular structure and mechanical properties of wood flour/polypropylene composite foams via mold-opening foam injection molding. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2022 , 139 , e52603..

Zhao, J.; Qiao, Y.; Wang, G.; Wang, C.; Park, C. B. Lightweight and tough PP/talc composite foam with bimodal nanoporous structure achieved by microcellular injection molding. Mater. Des. 2020 , 195 , 109051..

Wu, M.; Ren, Q.; Gao, P.; Ma, W.; Shen, B.; Wang, L.; Zheng, W.; Cui, P.; Yi, X. Enhanced electrical conductivity and EMI shielding performance through cell size-induced CNS alignment in PP/CNS foam. Compos. Commun. 2023 , 43 , 101716..

Huang, H.; Zhou, L.; Xu, T.; Wang, L. Tuning anisotropic properties of epoxy/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites via two-step foaming. Compos. Commun. 2024 , 48 , 101938..

Wang, G.; Zhao, G.; Wang, S.; Zhang, L.; Park, C. B. Injection-molded microcellular PLA/graphite nanocomposites with dramatically enha nced mechanical and electrical properties for ultra-efficient EMI shielding applications. J. Mater. Chem. C 2018 , 6 , 6847−6859..

Cai, J. H.; Tang, X. H.; Chen, X. D.; Wang, M. Temperature and strain-induced tunable electromagnetic interference shielding in polydimethylsiloxane/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites with temperature-sensitive microspheres. Compos. Part A Appl. Sci. Manuf. 2021 , 140 , 106188..

Zhang, Y.; Ruan, K.; Zhou, K.; Gu, J. Controlled distributed Ti 3 C 2 T x hollow microspheres on thermally conductive polyimide composite films for excellent electromagnetic interference shielding. Adv. Mater. 2023 , 35 , 2211642..

Liu, A.; Xu, X.; Qiu, H.; Guo, H.; He, M.; Yu, Z.; Zhang, Y.; Gu, J. Bioinspired hollow heterostructure fillers for enhanced electromagnetic interference shielding in polyimide aerogels. InfoMat 2025 , 7 , e70060..

Zhao, Y.; Zou, F.; Wang, X.; Li, G.; Liao, X. Dual-functional oriented PVDF/CNTs/BaTiO 3 composite foams fabricated by supercritical CO 2 foaming for electromagnetic shielding and piezoelectric sensing. Compos. Sci. Technol. 2026 , 278 , 111563..

Yang, C.; Xu, Y.; Liu, H.; Li, T.; Yan, K.; Wang, W.; Wang, D. Highly oriented CNTs endowing PP foam with high electrical conductivity and excellent electromagnetic interference shielding. ACS Appl. Polym. Mater. 2025 , 7 , 12682−12694..

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Recyclable High-performance Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites Based on Dithioacetal Covalent Adaptive Network

Synergistic Optimization of Toughness and EMI Shielding Properties in Rigid Polyurethane Composites by Designing Ring Structures on the Surface of Carbon Fibers

EFFECTS OF DEFORMATION-INDUCED ORIENTATION ON CYCLIZATION AND OXIDATION OF POLYACRYLONITRILE FIBERS DURING STABILIZATION PROCESS

Tunable Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Helical Poly(phenylacetylene)s via Side-chain-to-Backbone Förster Resonance Energy Transfer

Improvements of Hydrophobicity and Toughness of Epoxy Coatings Modified with Hydroxyl-terminated Fluororubber

Related Author

Jun-Heng Zhang

Dao-Hong Zhang

Ting-Cheng Li

Gui-Lian Shi

Hui-Xin Liu

Shi-Ting Li

Kai-Yuan Pei

Wei-Wei Li

Related Institution

Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Energy Materials Chemistry of Ministry of Education & Hubei Key Laboratory of Catalysis and Materials Science, Hubei R & D Center of Hyperbranched Polymers Synthesis and Applications, South-Central Minzu University

State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University

Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University

School of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University

Key Laboratory of Carbon Fiber and Functional Polymers, Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Chemical Technology

⁰