journal article·2026-05-15Open access

Unidirectional Evaporation‐Induced Tunable and Continuous Gradient Composite Structure for Absorption‐Dominant Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

Dawei Zhang, Yan Zhang, Baosong Li, Abdallah Kamal, Haider Butt, Kin Liao, Lianxi Zheng

Abstract

ABSTRACT Absorption‐dominant electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding requires simultaneous control of electrical conductivity and impedance matching to suppress secondary electromagnetic pollution. Here, we report a facile, scalable unidirectional evaporation method to fabricate MXene‐decorated melamine foams with a continuous, tunable electrical conductivity gradient across the thickness, free of discrete layer boundaries. Directional solvent evaporation induces controlled redistribution of MXene nanosheets within the three‐dimensional porous framework, governed by the synergistic effects of capillary, gravity, and Marangoni forces. By systematically tuning evaporation parameters, including temperature, humidity, and MXene concentration, the gradient profile can be regulated to optimize impedance matching and electromagnetic wave attenuation. The resulting composite exhibits outstanding absorption‐dominant EMI shielding performance, delivering a stable total shielding effectiveness of 53.84 dB across the X‐band with an ultralow reflection shielding effectiveness of 0.032 dB, corresponding to a high absorptivity of 0.99276. This work provides a general pathway for constructing continuous‐gradient architectures in porous composites, offering new opportunities for designing high‐performance, low‐reflection EMI shielding materials.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Electromagnetic wave absorption materials · MXene and MAX Phase Materials · Metamaterials and Metasurfaces Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Khalifa University of Science and Technology Abu Dhabi UAE

Advanced Research and Innovation Center (ARIC) Khalifa University of Science and Technology Abu Dhabi UAE

Machinery Industry Shanghai Lanya Petrochemical Equipment Inspection Institute Co., Ltd Shanghai China

Department of Aerospace Engineering Khalifa University of Science and Technology Abu Dhabi UAE

Research & Innovation Center For Graphene and 2D Materials (RIC‐2D) Khalifa University of Science and Technology Abu Dhabi UAE

References (59)

Show source-provided references
1. 10.1002/adma.20231068310.1002/adma.202310683 ↗
2. Recent Advances in Synthesis and Processing of Nanomaterial‐based Polymeric Foams for EMI Shielding Applications10.1007/s10853-025-10704-0 ↗
3. 10.1002/advs.20230748210.1002/advs.202307482 ↗
4. Emerging Trends of Ionic Sensors for Electronic Skin (e‐Skin)
5. 10.1021/acsnano.0c0131210.1021/acsnano.0c01312 ↗
6. 10.1016/j.aiepr.2025.07.00110.1016/j.aiepr.2025.07.001 ↗
7. Z.Ullah M.Al Hasan andM. I.Ben “EMI Shielding for 5G IOT Devices With MXene Metamaterial Absorber ” in2022 9th International Conference on Internet of Things: Systems Management and Security (IOTSMS)(IEEE 2022) 1–4.10.1109/IOTSMS58070.2022.10062134 ↗
8. 10.1109/JIOT.2025.357332510.1109/JIOT.2025.3573325 ↗
9. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.14147210.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.141472 ↗
10. 10.1002/adfm.20242142210.1002/adfm.202421422 ↗
11. 10.1021/acsami.7b0822910.1021/acsami.7b08229 ↗
12. 10.1016/j.carbon.2024.11975910.1016/j.carbon.2024.119759 ↗
13. 10.1002/adma.20240678310.1002/adma.202406783 ↗
14. 10.1016/j.carbon.2021.02.04710.1016/j.carbon.2021.02.047 ↗
15. 10.1007/s40820‐022‐00812‐w10.1007/s40820‐022‐00812‐w ↗
16. 10.1002/adfm.20240619710.1002/adfm.202406197 ↗
17. 10.1016/j.compositesa.2025.10895710.1016/j.compositesa.2025.108957 ↗
18. 10.1016/j.cej.2020.12728310.1016/j.cej.2020.127283 ↗
19. 10.1002/admi.20250022310.1002/admi.202500223 ↗
20. 10.1126/science.abg202610.1126/science.abg2026 ↗
21. 10.1002/adfm.20180393810.1002/adfm.201803938 ↗
22. 10.1007/s40820‐023‐01058‐w10.1007/s40820‐023‐01058‐w ↗
23. 10.1002/adfm.20230758810.1002/adfm.202307588 ↗
24. 10.1002/mame.20210003210.1002/mame.202100032 ↗
25. 10.1016/j.compositesb.2022.10983610.1016/j.compositesb.2022.109836 ↗
26. 10.1002/adfm.20241907710.1002/adfm.202419077 ↗
27. 10.1126/sciadv.abj166310.1126/sciadv.abj1663 ↗
28. 10.1016/j.compositesb.2021.10885310.1016/j.compositesb.2021.108853 ↗
29. 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.12674210.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.126742 ↗
30. 10.1002/adma.20200109310.1002/adma.202001093 ↗
31. 10.1126/science.abf158110.1126/science.abf1581 ↗
32. 10.1039/d4nh00425f10.1039/d4nh00425f ↗
33. 10.1002/adma.20231068310.1002/adma.202310683 ↗
34. 10.1002/smsc.20220001810.1002/smsc.202200018 ↗
35. 10.1002/smll.20240175510.1002/smll.202401755 ↗
36. 10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.17164410.1016/j.jallcom.2023.171644 ↗
37. 10.1016/j.compositesa.2023.10769410.1016/j.compositesa.2023.107694 ↗
38. 10.1007/s40820‐024‐01457‐710.1007/s40820‐024‐01457‐7 ↗
39. 10.1038/s41586‐025‐09699‐010.1038/s41586‐025‐09699‐0 ↗
40. 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.13195310.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.131953 ↗
41. 10.1007/s10853‐018‐2396‐z10.1007/s10853‐018‐2396‐z ↗
42. L.Ma M.Hamidinejad B.Zhao C.Liang andC. B.Park “Layered Foam /Film Polymer Nanocomposites with Highly Efficient EMI Shielding Properties and Ultralow Reflection ”Nano‐Micro Letters14(2022):19 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820‐021‐00759‐4.10.1007/s40820-021-00759-4 ↗
43. 10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.15716810.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157168 ↗
44. 10.1007/s42114‐026‐01642‐910.1007/s42114‐026‐01642‐9 ↗
45. 10.1016/j.compscitech.2021.10866310.1016/j.compscitech.2021.108663 ↗
46. 10.1016/j.carbon.2020.12.06010.1016/j.carbon.2020.12.060 ↗
47. 10.1016/j.carbon.2021.05.01810.1016/j.carbon.2021.05.018 ↗
48. 10.1039/d5na00240k10.1039/d5na00240k ↗
49. Balanis C. A. · 2012
50. 10.1016/j.compositesb.2024.11204310.1016/j.compositesb.2024.112043 ↗
51. 10.1007/s40820‐023‐01246‐810.1007/s40820‐023‐01246‐8 ↗
52. 10.1002/advs.20252285610.1002/advs.202522856 ↗
53. 10.1007/s10853‐009‐3561‐110.1007/s10853‐009‐3561‐1 ↗
54. 10.1016/S0008‐6223(00)00184‐610.1016/S0008‐6223(00)00184‐6 ↗
55. 10.1002/adfm.20211104510.1002/adfm.202111045 ↗
56. 10.1007/s40820‐021‐00673‐910.1007/s40820‐021‐00673‐9 ↗
57. C.Dalton Rapid Determination of Parasite Viability Using AC Electrokinetic Techniques(Bangor University 2002).
58. 10.1016/j.carbon.2023.02.01210.1016/j.carbon.2023.02.012 ↗
59. 10.1016/j.carbon.2024.11962710.1016/j.carbon.2024.119627 ↗