Boosting electrothermal conversion coefficient of carbon fibers for de-icing applications through Ni-Cu co-deposition on carbon fibers

Electrothermal anti-/deicing system offer advantages of rapid response and precise controllability, but suffers from low electrothermal conversion coefficient of conventional heating elements, and it's unable to provide electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for precision electronic equipment. Herein, we introduce an effective strategy to enhance the electrothermal conversion coefficient and electromagnetic shielding capability of carbon fibers (CF) through the electroless co-deposition of a nickel‑copper coating under optimized conditions. The Ni-Cu co-deposited carbon fiber (NiCu-CF) demonstrated superior electrothermal performance, reaching 102.8 °C with a heating rate of 4.38 °C/s and a conversion coefficient of 0.0349 W/°C, outperforming both unmodified CF and pure nickel-coated CF. Its excellent stability under varying voltage inputs, repeated electrical cycling, and mechanical deformation, along with improved interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), has been demonstrated. Both the electromagnetic shielding test and de-icing test demonstrate its exceptional electromagnetic shielding performance (50.12 dB) and superior de-icing capability (68.3 s), positioning it as a promising candidate for advanced flexible heating elements for de-icing applications.