Ultra-thin wonder material absorbs 99% electromagnetic waves with ease
Scientists have developed a new material: an ultra-thin film that can absorb over 99% of electromagnetic waves.
The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) states it to be the “world’s first ultra-thin film composite material capable of absorbing over 99% of electromagnetic waves.”
This material is less than half a millimeter thick, but it can effectively shield against a wide range of frequencies, including those used by 5G, 6G, Wi-Fi, and autonomous vehicle radar.
Unlike traditional shielding materials that reflect electromagnetic waves, this new material absorbs them, minimizing interference and improving the performance of electronic devices.
“As the applications of 5G/6G communications continue to expand, the importance of electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding materials is growing,” said Byeongjin Park, senior researcher of KIMS, who led the development.
Park added: “This material has the potential to significantly improve the reliability of wireless communication devices such as smartphones and autonomous vehicle radars.”
Need for new material
Electronic devices can emit waves that mess with other nearby devices, resulting in performance degradation.
These invisible waves can lead to glitches, signal loss, and even safety hazards.
Electromagnetic shielding materials are employed to mitigate this interference. These materials hold the potential to absorb the waves, which is said to be more effective than just reflecting them.
Conventional shielding materials primarily reflect electromagnetic waves, absorbing only a small fraction of 10%. Additionally, materials with higher absorption rates are often limited to a single frequency band.
To fix these problems, the team made a new material that can absorb waves from many different frequencies at the same time.
99% absorption
The material is super thin, bendy, and tough. It can bend without breaking, making it great for rollable phones and wearable tech
“The team synthesized a magnetic material by altering the crystal structure of ferrite, enabling it to selectively absorb desired frequencies,” the press release noted.
They then combined this material with a thin polymer film and added conductive patterns to control wave propagation.
Finally, a carbon nanotube film was added to further improve the material’s shielding properties.
“This electromagnetic wave absorption and shielding material is less than 0.5mm thick and is distinguished by its low reflectance of less than 1% and high absorbance of over 99% across three different frequency bands,” the press release added.
The research was supported by KIMS and the National Research Council of Science & Technology. The team has secured patents domestically and internationally and has licensed the technology to several companies for use in real-world applications, including communication devices and automobiles.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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Ultra-thin wonder material absorbs 99% electromagnetic waves with ease