Shielding Technology

[Anchor Lead]

Global attention is high on technologies that block electromagnetic waves. Now a joint Korean and U.S. team has developed a new material with electromagnetic-wave shielding technology that is light, cheap and easily processed.

[Pkg]

The latest IT gadgets are equipped with more and more high-tech sensors and electronic components. This raises the risk of device malfunctions due to electromagnetic wave interference. Until now, chips or circuit boards were covered with metal plates to block such interference, despite downsides such as weight, expense and vulnerability to corrosion. A joint team of researchers from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Drexel University in the U.S. has developed a novel nonmetallic material with electromagnetic-wave shielding effects. The team used a nano material that consists of multiple layers, each measuring one nanometer in thickness. A 45 micrometer thick film can block 92 decibels of electromagnetic waves.

[Soundbite] Goo Jong-min(Researcher, KIST) : "The performance results from the material's superb electrical conductivity and strong internal multi-reflection effects.'

The new material is lightweight, relatively affordable and capable of being processed in various ways.

[Soundbite] Yury Gogotsi(Professor, Drexel University (U.S.)

The research results were published in Friday's online edition of the world renowned academic journal Science.