Empa Researchers developed an aerogel based on cellulose nanofibers capable of shielding electromagnetic fields over a wide frequency range
Electrical devices, such as motors, generate electromagnetic fields that can interfere with other nearby magnetic components. The fields are usually shielded through metal sheets or special alloys. However, for many applications, these methods are not suitable due to excessive weight or the difficulty of obtaining certain geometries. A breakthrough comes from a group of researchers led by Zhihui Zeng and Gustav Nyström at Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology.
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The researchers used cellulose nanofibers as the basis for an aerogel, resulting in a light and highly porous material. The cellulose fibres are obtained from wood and are easily adaptable to different needs. The team tested different morphologies enriched with silver nanowires and succeeded in obtaining an ultralight structure with excellent shielding properties. The results of the research have been presented in the ACS Nano and Advanced Science journals.
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The electromagnetic shielding properties are guaranteed by the high porosity of the material (1.7 milligrams per cubic centimeter) and the arrangement of the silver nanowires. The aerogel shields shielding changes of more than 40 dB in a frequency range from 8 to 12 GHz, results never achieved before. In addition, the aerogel is very light and flexible, which makes it easy to use in many applications. A further improvement is achieved by adding titanium carbide nanopiastres, which further increase the properties of the aerogel, turning it into an unparalleled engineering material.
