Electromagnetic Shielding of Monolayer MXene Assemblies

Abstract

Miniaturization of electronics demands electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding of nanoscale dimension. The authors report a systematic exploration of EMI shielding behavior of 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene assembled films over a broad range of film thicknesses, monolayer by monolayer. Theoretical models are used to explain the shielding mechanism below skin depth, where multiple reflection becomes significant, along with the surface reflection and bulk absorption of electromagnetic radiation. While a monolayer assembled film offers ≈20% shielding of electromagnetic waves, a 24-layer film of ≈55 nm thickness demonstrates 99% shielding (20 dB), revealing an extraordinarily large absolute shielding effectiveness (3.89 × 106 dB cm2 g−1). This remarkable performance of nanometer-thin solution processable MXene proposes a paradigm shift in shielding of lightweight, portable, and compact next-generation electronic devices.