Fabrication of multifunctional cu-coated melamine foam by electroless chemical deposition technique for thermal management, EMI shielding, and antibacterial applications

Melamine foam (MF) inherently possesses excellent flame-retardant properties due to its ability to release nitrogen upon combustion. Its porous and loose structure also contributes to its high flexibility, breathability, and sound absorption capabilities. Incorporating copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) significantly enhances the material's electrical conductivity, including its electromagnetic shielding effectiveness, thermal conductivity, and antibacterial properties. This, in turn, greatly broadens the material's potential applications. This research investigated the coating of Cu NPs on three-dimensional MF using an electroless chemical deposition technique to fabricate multifunctional materials. The electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE_T) increased to 85 dB as the Cu NPs content rose from 0 to 0.31 g. Similarly, the electrical conductivity increased from 0.19 to 357 S/m. These results indicate that the Cu-coated MF has high EMI shielding and conductivity properties. The strong adhesion of the Cu NPs to the MF surface created a coating with low infrared emissivity, contributing to the material's excellent thermal insulation properties. With a modest supply voltage of around 4 V, the material exhibited promising electrical conductivity, generating additional warmth of up to 74 °C through efficient joule heating. Furthermore, the Cu-coated MF demonstrated 100 % antibacterial activity, making it a promising candidate for a variety of applications.