Carbon Nanotubes Show Promise in Electromagnetic Shielding

Strategic Insights -

Carbon nanotubes have emerged as a promising material for electromagnetic shielding, thanks to their ability to minimize secondary interference and electromagnetic pollution. A recent study from researchers at Xi'an Polytechnic University has found that compositing carbon nanotubes with metal, specifically gold, can enhance their shielding performance by up to 85 dB. The study proposes an expansion-based in situ composition strategy to embed gold particles into carbon nanotube networks, resulting in a composite fiber with uniform Au distribution and improved mechanical and electrical properties.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers at Xi'an Polytechnic University have developed a new material that combines carbon nanotubes with gold to improve electromagnetic shielding performance.
  • The composite material exhibits excellent shielding effectiveness, reaching up to 85 dB, and a high absorption-to-reflection ratio of 2.36.
  • The addition of gold particles plays a crucial role in enhancing the shielding properties of the composite material.
  • The material demonstrates uniform distribution of gold particles and good environmental stability.
  • The study proposes an expansion-based in situ composition strategy to embed gold particles into carbon nanotube networks.
  • Funders for this research include Key research program industrial textiles Collaborative Innovation Center Project of Shanxi Provincial Department of education, Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Department, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Science and Technology Program of Suzhou, and Graduate Scientific Innovation Fund for Xi'an Polytechnic University.
  • Authors of the study include Wenya Li, Jingwen Liao, Kai Ren, Jingna Zhao, Zehui Zhao, Yongyi Zhang, Qingwen Li, Wei Cheng, and Xiaohua Zhang.

Statistics:

  • Electromagnetic shielding effectiveness: up to 85 dB
  • Absorption-to-reflection ratio: up to 2.36
  • Uniform distribution of Au particles
  • Light weight:

Funders:

  • Key research program industrial textiles Collaborative Innovation Center Project (Shanxi Provincial Department of education)
  • Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Department
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
  • Science and Technology Program of Suzhou
  • Graduate Scientific Innovation Fund for Xi'an Polytechnic University

Sources:

  • Carbon Nanotube/au Multilevel Continuous Network Based Composite Fiber and Their Absorption-dominant Electromagnetic Shielding Properties (Advanced Materials Technologies, 2025)
  • Findings on Carbon Nanotubes Reported by Investigators at Xi'an Polytechnic University (Electronics Newsweekly, October 21, 2025; p 1108)