Electromagnetic Interference Shielding by Transparent Graphene/Nickel Mesh Films

In this work, we present efficient, robust, and transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding by a hybrid material comprised of a nickel (Ni) mesh and a conformal graphene coating. We demonstrate that a 20 nm-thick graphene/Ni hybrid mesh can provide EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) exceeding 12.1 dB (∼93.6% power attenuation) in the decimeter band while retaining a high visible transmittance of ∼83%. Its maximum achieved SE value was 26.6 dB (∼99.5% power attenuation) at 0.75 GHz. Furthermore, the thicker Ni mesh exhibited a higher EMI SE. Compared to a conventional Ni mesh, the hybrid mesh exhibits a higher SE and a greatly improved corrosion resistance. The graphene coating is directly grown on a Ni mesh via rapid annealing of solid carbon precursors under low vacuum. Scalable fabrication of the mesh was achieved by a self-formed TiO2 crack network template. Our results not only provide a promising material for high-performance EMI shielding in optoelectronics devices but also enable applications of EMI shielding in harsh environments.