Multilayer-Structured Wood Electroless Cu–Ni Composite Coatings for Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Transparent and Flexible Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Materials by Constructing Sandwich AgNW@MXene/Wood Composites

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have attracted intensive attention with the increased electromagnetic pollution, which are required to possess high transparency and flexibility for applications in visualization windows, aerospace equipment, and wearable devices. However, it remains a challenge to achieve high-performance EMI shielding while maintaining excellent light transmittance. Herein, a sandwich composite is constructed by coating the core material of transparent wood (TW) with silver nanowire (AgNW)@MXene, exhibiting a maximum transmittance of 28.8% in the visible range and a longitudinal tensile strength of 47.8 MPa. The average EMI shielding effectiveness can reach up to 44.0 dB under X-band (8-12.4 GHz), ascribed to the increased absorption shielding induced by the multireflection of electromagnetic waves within microchannels of the TW layer and the interfacial polarization between AgNW and MXene. Simultaneously, large-scale EMI shielding films can be conveniently produced by our proposed method, which provides inspiration for the development of advanced EMI shielding materials for wide applications.

Wood-Based Composites with High Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effectiveness and Ultra-Low Reflection

With the aggravation of electromagnetic radiation pollution, it is urgent to develop green, lightweight, ultra-thin and high-performance electromagnetic interference shielding materials to eliminate unnecessary electromagnetic interference; however, the construction of wood-based high-performance electromagnetic shielding materials by simple methods remains a challenge. Based on the layer-by-layer assembly strategy, a lightweight Ni/Wood/Ni composite (NWNC) with an interlayer structure was constructed by a simple electroless plating method using natural wood as a substrate for electromagnetic interference shielding. The synthesized NWNC has a smooth surface, and its minimum surface roughness is only 8.34 μm. After 15 min of electroless nickel plating, the contact angle (CA) of NWNC with an ultra-thin nickel layer (65 μm) was 118.3°. When the thickness of the nickel layer is only 0.102 mm, the conductivity can reach 1659.59 S/cm when the three electroless nickel plating time is 15 min. In the L-band, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness can reach 94.1 dB after three times electroless nickel plating for 20 min. This is due to the conductive loss, magnetic loss and interface polarization loss generated by the electromagnetic network constructed by the nickel layer, which makes the composite material produce an electromagnetic shielding mechanism dominated by absorption. The L-band absorption efficiency can reach 39.01 dB, and due to the porous structure of the original wood, the multiple reflection and absorption inside the wood further lose the electromagnetic wave. This study provides a low-cost and simple method for the design of light, ultra-thin and efficient controllable wood-based electromagnetic shielding materials and has broad application prospects in the fields of construction and aerospace.

Trends in Chemical Wood Surface Improvements and Modifications: A Review of the Last Five Years

Increasing the use of wood in buildings is regarded by many as a key solution to tackle climate change. For this reason, a lot of research is carried out to develop new and innovative wood surface improvements and make wood more appealing through features such as increased durability, fire-retardancy, superhydrophobicity, and self-healing. However, in order to have a positive impact on the society, these surface improvements must be applied in real buildings. In this review, the last five years of research in the domain of wood surface improvements and modifications is first presented by sorting the latest innovations into different trends. Afterward, these trends are correlated to specifications representing different normative, ecologic and economic factors which must be considered when expecting to introduce a wood treatment to the market. With this review, the authors hope to help researchers to take into consideration the different factors influencing whether new innovations can leave the research laboratory or not, and thereby facilitate the introduction of new wood surface treatments in the society.

Omnidirectional / Unidirectional Antireflection-Switchable Structures Inspired by Dragonfly Wings

Randomly arranged irregular inclined conical structure-covered dragonfly wings, distinguished from periodic conical structure-covered cicada wings, are with high optical transparency for wide viewing angles. Bioinspired by the antireflective structures, we develop a colloidal lithography approach for engineering randomly arranged irregular conical structures with shape memory polymer-based tips. The structures establish a gradual refractive index transition to suppresses optical reflection in the visible spectrum. By manipulating the configuration of structure tips through applying common solvent stimulations or contact pressures under ambient conditions, the resulting unidirectional antireflection and omnidirectional antireflection performances are able to be instantaneously and reversibly switched. The dependences of structure shape, structure inclination, structure arrangement, and structure composition on the switchable antireflection capability are also systematically investigated in this study.

A Novel Processing for CNT-Reinforced Mg-Matrix Laminated Composites to Enhance the Electromagnetic Shielding Property

The microstructure, electrical conductivity, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (SE) of CNTs/Mg Matrix composites prepared by accumulative roll bonding (ARB) were systematically investigated to understand the effects of CNTs on the electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness property of magnesium. A model based on the shielding of the electromagnetic plane wave was used to theoretically discuss the EMI shielding mechanisms of ARB-processed composites. The experimental results indicated that the methods were feasible to prepare laminated composites. The SE of the material increased gradually with the increase of electrophoretic deposition time. When the electrophoretic deposition time reached 8 min, the value of SE remained 87–95 dB in the frequency range of 8.2–12.4 GHz. The increase in SE was mainly attributed to the improvement in the reflection and multiple reflection losses of incident electromagnetic wave due to the increased amounts of CNTs and interfaces. The methods provided an efficient strategy to produce laminated metal matrix composites with high electromagnetic shielding properties.

Preparation and Characterization of Electromagnetic Shielding Composites Based on Graphene-Nanosheets-Loaded Nonwoven Fabric

A fabric-like electromagnetic (EM) shielding composite based on nonwoven was fabricated using a coating method with a mixture containing graphene (GE) nanosheets and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) adhesive agent, and then characterized for its mechanical properties, air permeability, EM properties, and morphologies. The GE loading amount and EM shielding effect was improved by applying a double coating process, with, in particular, a 2-sided coating that produced superior air permeability and shielding effectiveness (SE) than 2-layer coating. The coating produced an increased tensile initial modulus and flexural rigidity, whose increase was affected by the coating agent GE content. Increased GE content also resulted in decreased air permeability and increased SE and electrical conductivity. After coating with 25 g/L GE, the composite SE reached 31.2 dB, such that the electric/magnetic field strength of transmitted EM waves were reduced by ~97%. Scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectrometry results illustrated that aggregated GE was tightly bonded with the fibers due to the adhesive effect of PVDF and, with the increased coating agent GE content, the fibrous network was gradually filled with GE/PVDF attachments and increasing numbers of fibers were covered. Such an EM shielding material could be referenced for development by industrial or household protective applications.