Scientists have created a Faraday fabric that blocks 99.9% of electromagnetic waves
A research group from Drexel University managed to create a rather unusual material, which was named "Faraday tissue". Its main property lies in blocking 99.9% of electromagnetic waves. I'll tell you about this development.
Electromagnetic waves, why do we need protection against them?
The modern world is literally bathed in an ocean of various electromagnetic waves. Suffice it to recall radio, television, Wi-Fi transmitters, home routers and telephone networks, etc. These are all sources of microwaves.
All this noise can greatly reduce the stability of connections and significantly slow it down, and even lead to a malfunction of electrical devices.
It is for these reasons that the most important components in electrical appliances are wrapped in protective covers made of, for example, copper foil. But such protection is not a panacea, since it only reflects waves, and also increases the size of the device itself, which, during the race for miniaturization, is a rather significant disadvantage.
New development
Just a couple of months ago, the Drexel team presented their new development called MXene, which is a 2D material composed of titanium carbonitride.
This material is not only extremely thin - its thickness is only a few atoms, but it also has one unusual property. As it turned out, this material literally absorbs more than 99.9% of electromagnetic radiation.
In another experiment, the company's engineers have found a new use for the material. It was decided to create a fabric that would completely block electromagnetic waves.
Samples of cotton and linen fabrics were immersed in MXene solution and tested.
As it turned out, the tissue obtained in this way was able to block more than 99.9% of the electromagnetic signals.
As it turned out, the 2D material was firmly attached to the fibers of the fabric due to its electric discharge, and this means that for processing fabrics no additional manipulations are required except for impregnation and drying.
In addition, the treated fabric showed a fairly high wear resistance. Thus, a fabric that was treated with a solution a couple of years ago showed a slight decrease in the effectiveness of protection (from 8% to 13%, depending on the type of fabric).
Where can such materials be applied
According to company representatives, the Faraday fabric they created can find application to protect wearable electronics from interference without increasing it in volume. In addition, fabrics can be used to create specials. suits for people in highly hazardous industries, where high-quality protection from electromagnetic radiation is required.