MXene composite used to reduce electromagnetic interference

Science researchers from Drexel University’s College of Engineering have developed a special coating that could one day prevent electronic devices and components from going haywire when they are too close to one another. The coating was developed using a type of two-dimensional material called MXene and is capable of absorbing and disbursing the electromagnetic fields that are the source of the problem. Buzzing, feedback or static are the noticeable manifestations of electromagnetic interference, a collision of the electromagnetic fields generated by electronics devices. Aside from the sounds, this phenomenon can also diminish the performance of the devices and lead to overheating and malfunctions if left unchecked.

While researchers and technologists have reduced this problem with each generation of devices, their strategies usually involve encasing vital components with a shielding that deflects electromagnetic waves. However, according to the team of researchers from Drexel, this is not a sustainable solution. “Because the number of electronics devices will continue to grow, deflecting the electromagnetic waves they produce is really just a short-term solution. To truly solve this problem, we need to develop materials that will absorb and dissipate the interference. We believe we have found just such a material,” said Yury Gogotsi, PhD, Distinguished University and Bach Professor in the College of Engineering, who led the research.

In the recent edition of Cell Reports Physical Science, Gogotsi’s team reported that combining MXene, a material they discovered more than a decade ago, with a conductive element called vanadium in a polymer solution produces a coating that can absorb electromagnetic waves. While researchers have previously demonstrated that MXenes are effective at warding off electromagnetic interference by reflecting it, adding vanadium carbide in a polymer matrix enhances two key characteristics of the material that improve its shielding performance.

Adding vanadium to the MXene structure — a material known for its durability and corrosion-resistant properties, that is used in steel alloys for space vehicles and nuclear reactors — causes layers of the MXene to form in a sort of electrochemical grid that is suitable for trapping ions. Using microwave-transparent polymer also makes the material more permeable to the electromagnetic waves. Combined, these properties produce a coating that can absorb, entrap and dissipate the energy of electromagnetic waves at greater than 90% efficiency, according to the research.

Meikang Han, PhD, participated in the research and said that combining polyurethane, a common polymer used in wall paint, with a small amount of MXene filler — about one part MXene in 50 parts polyurethane — can absorb more than 90% of incident electromagnetic waves covering the entire band of radar frequencies, known as X-band frequencies. “Radio waves just disappear inside the MXene-polymer composite film — of course, nothing disappears completely, the energy of the waves is transformed to a very small amount of heat which is easily dissipated by the material,” Han said.

A thin coating of the vanadium-based MXene material — less than the width of a human hair — could render a material impermeable to any electromagnetic waves in the X-band spectrum, which includes microwave radiation and is the most common frequency produced by devices. Gogotsi said that this development could be important for applications in medical and military settings where maintaining technological performance is crucial.

The MXene polymer composite being developed in Drexel’s College of Engineering that could help to curtail the ever-increasing electromagnetic interference that comes with the proliferation of electronics devices. Image credit: Drexel University/Cell Reports Physical Science

“Our results show that vanadium-based MXenes could play a key role in the expansion of Internet of Things technology and 5G and 6G communications. This study provides a new director for the development of thin, highly absorbent, MXene-based electromagnetic interference protection materials,” Gogotsi said.

The research was supported by the US National Science Foundation, the Murata Manufacturing Company and the US Department of Energy.

Top image credit: iStock.com/Petrovich9